A new UNF poll finds strong support among surveyed voters to implement a half-cent sales tax to repair or replace aging Duval County public schools.
Do you support or oppose a half-cent sales tax increase, if those funds specifically go to upgrade or replace aging schools?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,221 | General Election Voters n=812 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=597 |
| Strongly support | 49% | 47% | 52% |
| Somewhat support | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| Somewhat oppose | 9% | 10% | 9% |
| Strongly oppose | 17% | 17% | 14% |
Do you support or oppose a half-cent sales tax increase, if those funds specifically go to upgrade or replace aging schools?
| Answer Options
| Registered Democrats | Registered Republicans | Registered NPA/Others |
| Support | 86% | 61% | 76% |
| Oppose | 14% | 29% | 24% |
Recently, the Duval County School Board voted to approve a resolution seeking a special election to ask voters to support a half-cent sales tax to upgrade or replace aging schools. The Jacksonville City Council will vote June 25 on the timing of the election. Should city council vote for this proposed referendum to be voted on in a special election on November 5, 2019, in the general election on November 3, 2020, or should there be no referendum at all.
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,221 | General Election Voters n=813 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=599 |
| Special election on November 5, 2019 | 34% | 33% | 36% |
| General election on November 3, 2020 | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| No referendum at all | 17% | 17% | 15% |
This past year, officials discussed the possibility of selling JEA (the city’s community owned utility company). In general, do you support or oppose the city selling all or parts of JEA?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,204 | General Election Voters n=800 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=593 |
| Strongly support | 12% | 10% | 9% |
| Somewhat support | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Somewhat oppose | 23% | 23% | 21% |
| Strongly oppose | 49% | 53% | 56% |
Do you support or oppose a person 18 years of age or older, charged with possession of marijuana (20 grams or less), be declared a civil infraction and eligible to receive a civil citation as opposed to a misdemeanor with potential jail time?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,218 | General Election Voters n=808 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=596 |
| Strongly support | 66% | 65% | 64% |
| Somewhat support | 18% | 20% | 20% |
| Somewhat oppose | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Strongly oppose | 11% | 9% | 11% |
What do you think is the most important issue facing Jacksonville today?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,225 |
| Education | 16% |
| The Economy | 5% |
| Access to Healthcare | 5% |
| Crime | 45% |
| Downtown Redevelopment | 13% |
| Tax Burden | 2% |
| Access to Public Transportation | 3% |
| Improving the Environment | 5% |
| Infrastructure/Traffic/Growth | 1% |
| Something Else | 5% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Lenny Curry is handling his job as Mayor of Jacksonville?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,222 |
| Strongly approve | 15% |
| Somewhat approve | 31% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 19% |
| Strongly disapprove | 18% |
| Don’t Know | 18% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Jacksonville City Council is handling its job?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,213 |
| Strongly approve | 2% |
| Somewhat approve | 32% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 29% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% |
| Don’t Know | 20% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mike Williams is handling his job as Jacksonville’s Sheriff?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,222 |
| Strongly approve | 15% |
| Somewhat approve | 30% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 21% |
| Strongly disapprove | 19% |
| Don’t Know | 16% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Diana Greene is handling her job as the Duval County Superintendent of Schools?
| Answer Options
| Duval County Registered Voters n=1,220 |
| Strongly approve | 10% |
| Somewhat approve | 30% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 18% |
| Strongly disapprove | 13% |
| Don’t Know | 29% |
| Race | Duval County Registered Voters n=1,226 | General Election Voters n=816 | Off Cycle Elections Voters n=600 |
| White (not Hispanic) | 59% | 65% | 61% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 28% | 25% | 29% |
| Hispanic | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Other | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| Sex | Duval County Registered Voters n=1,226 | General Election Voters n=816 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=600 |
| Male | 45% | 45% | 47% |
| Female | 55% | 55% | 53% |
| Party Registration | Duval County Registered Voters n=1,226 | General Election Voters n=816 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=600 |
| Republican | 36% | 42% | 39% |
| Democrat | 41% | 40% | 42% |
| NPA and other | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| Age | Duval County Registered Voters n=1,226 | General Election Voters n=816 | Off Cycle Election Voters n=600 |
| 18 to 24 | 10% | 5% | 7% |
| 25 to 34 | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| 45 to 55 | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| 56 to 64 | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| 65 and older | 20% | 24% | 30% |
Methodology
The UNF Jax Speaks Poll was conducted and sponsored by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida from Monday, June 17, through Wednesday, June 19. The survey was administered through email via Qualtrics, an online survey platform. The sample frame was comprised of registered voters who live in Jacksonville, Florida. The email addresses used for this survey were sourced from the Florida’s Division of Elections June 4, 2019 update and selected through the use of probability sampling among Duval County, Fla. registered voters in the Florida voter file. Overall, there were 1,226 completed surveys of Duval County registered voters, 18 years of age or older.
The margin of sampling error for the total sample is +/- 2.8 percentage points. The total sample was then weighted by partisan registration, sex, race, and age. Weights were created from the June 6, 2019 update of the Florida voter file to match the active registered voters in Duval County. These demographic characteristics were pulled from the voter file list. All weighted demographic variables were applied using the SPSS version 23 rake weighting function, which won’t assign a weight if one of the demographics being weighted is missing. Individuals without a weight were manually given a weight of 1. There were no statistical adjustments made due to design effects. This survey was sponsored by the UNF PORL and directed by Dr. Michael Binder, UNF associate professor of political science.
The PORL is a full-service survey research facility that provides tailored research to fulfill each client’s individual needs from political, economic, social and cultural projects. The PORL opened in 2001 and is an independent, non-partisan center, a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organization. As members of AAPOR, the PORL’s goal is to support sound and ethical practices in the conduct of survey and public opinion research. Moreover, the PORL is a charter member of the AAPOR Transparency Initiative and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations. For more information about methodology, contact Binder at porl@unf.edu or at (904) 620-2784.