Road Infrastructure, K-12 Improvements Most Important to West Virginians

January 12, 2023

Mountaineer News

West Virginia Survey

West Virginia residents believe improving road infrastructure and the K-12 education system should be top priorities, according to a new survey from the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy.

Residents are not very confident, however, the state will have adequate job opportunities during the next 15 years.

The public survey was aimed at looking at the attitudes and preferences of West Virginia residents.

“Generally speaking, West Virginians are proud of their state and their heritage according to this survey, but they also believe certain aspects of society can and should improve,” the survey’s summary said.

Survey respondents believed high-tech industry (21%), manufacturing (21%), tourism (13%) and the natural gas (11%) and coal industry (10%) have the best potential to create jobs in the state in the next five to 10 years.

Meanwhile, 65% said they are not at all or not very confident in the state’s job opportunities over the next 15 years while just 4% were very confident.

Only 3% believe West Virginia’s K-12 public education system is excellent while 19% believe it is good, 41% average and 36% believe it is poor or failing.

Sixteen percent of respondents said it was very likely they would sent their kids to charter schools while 28% said it is somewhat likely, 31% said not very likely and 20% said it was not likely at all.

Nearly 75% of respondents strongly or somewhat support tax credits for private schools while 11% somewhat oppose and 6% strongly oppose those credits.

Of respondents, 78% believe it is important and 16% believe it is very important that the United States produces most of the energy that it uses while 23% strongly support and 30% somewhat support the construction of nuclear power plants in the state.

The survey also showed 61% believe energy independence is more important than reducing carbon emissions to fight global warming. Also, 53% strongly agree and 31% somewhat agree it is important to develop more natural gas and natural gas pipelines in the U.S.