Page 1

Survey on Drug Abuse and Drug Policy
Summary of Results
September, 2001

Conducted by:
Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 2

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Methodology
This survey was conducted by Ridder/Braden, Inc. and was commissioned by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
with funding provided by the Lindesmith Center – Drug Policy Foundation. The objective of this study was to measure voter
attitudes and opinions toward issues relating to drug abuse and drug policy in Colorado.

The Interview
Respondents were interviewed by
telephone. Interviews were conducted
between July 25th and July 30th of 2001.
The telephone interviewers were
professionals independently hired by
Ridder/Braden to ensure the complete
integrity of the survey.
Sample
A random sample of 500 voters were
drawn from the list of registered voters in
the state of Colorado. In order to capture
the attitudes and opinions of active voters,
only those who said that they were
absolutely certain, very likely, or would
possibly vote in the 2002 elections were
included in this survey. Those voters who
responded that they were not very likely or
not at all likely to vote were excluded from
the sample.

Sample Bias
Every survey contains some respondents who will refuse to speak to the
professional interviewer. A lower response rate among certain types of
individuals can result in a sample wherein certain types of individuals are
over-represented or under-represented. The potential for sampling bias
increases as the response rate decreases. Ridder/Braden, Inc. often sets
quotas for various segments of the population which are historically undercounted. This effort should minimize, but not necessarily eliminate
sampling bias.
Margin of Error
A sample size of 501 at a 95% confidence level provides a maximum
margin of error of approximately plus or minus 4.38%. This means that in
95 of 100 cases, the results based on a sample of 501 will differ by no more
than 4.38 percentage points in either direction from what would have been
obtained by interviewing active voters in Colorado.
For More Information, Please Contact:
CCJRC c/o Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center
P.O. Box 1156
Boulder, CO 80306
(303) 444-6981
Copies of this report are available at: www.prison-moratorium.org

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 3

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Key Findings
Colorado Voters Believe “We are Losing the War on Drugs.”
Ø

83% of Colorado voters believe that we are losing the war on drugs. The majority of voters believe the war on drugs has been
ineffective in reducing drug use and supply in Colorado. These results were consistent across all demographic categories.

Ø

88% of voters believe that we will never be able to stop drugs from coming into this country until demand is reduced. A
similarly high 85% believe that the current war on drugs is dealing with symptoms of drug abuse but failing to solve the
underlying causes.

Ø These results were consistent across all demographic categories.

Colorado Voters View Addiction More as a Health Problem than a Crime
Ø A clear majority (59%) of voters view addiction primarily as a health problem. Only 11% view drug addiction primarily as
a crime. Another 16% responded “both.”

Colorado Voters Believe Treatment is an Effective Solution and Support Increasing Funding
Ø

86% of voters believe that providing treatment and education to people with a drug problem would be effective in reducing
drug use. 80% of voters also believe that providing effective treatment would help reduce drug related crime.

Ø

74% of voters support increasing funding to expand the availability of drug treatment. The results were consistent across all
demographic categories.

Ø

Voters believe that State funding is currently too heavily weighted towards criminal justice, and over three-quarters (77%)
favored increasing the amount spent on education, prevention, and treatment. Only 12% thought the current ratio was
appropriate and even fewer voters (5%) favored increasing the percentage spent on criminal justice.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 4

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Colorado Voters Favor Reducing Sentences for Drug Possession
Ø Voters were asked what they thought the sentence should be for someone convicted of possession of small quantities of drugs.
60% said treatment and supervision was an appropriate sentence, while 21% favored incarceration.
Ø Nearly three-quarters (73%) of voters believe that we should decrease criminal penalties for possession of small quantities of
drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor and spend the money saved on prison costs to increase drug treatment and prevention
programs. A majority of voters in every demographic category favored the reduction in criminal penalties.
Ø A strong majority (85%) of voters agree that a person convicted of possession should be allowed to remain in the community
under supervision, like an alcoholic, so long as they do not commit other crimes.

Colorado Voters Rank Prison Expansion Low on Funding Priorities
Ø There is very little support from voters to decrease funding for education, state colleges and universities, roads and
highways and public health programs to fund prison expansion.

Conclusion
Ø Colorado voters clearly view the current war on drugs as a failure and view addiction as primarily a health problem, not a crime.
Voters are also strongly supportive of increasing the emphasis on funding for treatment and prevention as well as decreasing
sentences for drug possession. Voters believe these reforms would be effective in reducing both drug use and drug related crime
in Colorado.

Page 5

Voter Response to Specific Questions
on the
Effectiveness of the War on Drugs

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 6

Voters were asked to agree or
disagree with the following
statement: “We are losing the
war on drugs.”

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

61%

70%
60%
50%
40%

83% either strongly or
somewhat agreed with the
statement. These results are
consistent across all
demographic categories.

22%

30%
20%

8%

4%

5%

Strongly
Disagree

DK/NA

10%
0%

Strongly
Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Disagree

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

.
Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total
—————

Base 500

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

SubRural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

61%

60%

62%

51%

57%

62%

80%

61%

64%

64%

54%

62%

61%

62%

64%

50%

43%

56%

22

22

22

29

21

21

13

23

21

21

24

20

24

20

21

13

35

23

Somewhat Disagree

8

8

8

8

16

6

3

4

6

8

10

9

6

10

7

13

14

9

Strongly Disagree

4

5

3

3

3

7

0

5

5

3

5

1

5

4

3

25

3

9

DK/NA

5

5

8

3

4

3

7

3

4

6

8

3

4

5

0

5

4

Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree

5

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 7

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked to agree or disagree with the following statements:
“We will never be able to stop drugs from coming into “The current “war on drugs” is dealing with symptoms
this country until demand is reduced.”
of drug abuse but failing to solve underlying causes.”

Smwt Disagree
6%

Smwt Stg Disagree DK/NA
Disagree
4%
3%
5%
Smwt Agree

Stg Disagree DK/NA
2%
6%

Smwt Agree
27%

18%

Strongly
agree
70%

88% strongly or somewhat agree that
we will never stop the flow of drugs
into this country until demand is
reduced.

Strongly
Agree
58%

85% strongly or somewhat agree that
the current war on drugs is failing to
solve the underlying causes of drug
abuse.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 8

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Very
Effective
2%

DK/NA
12%

Voters were asked: “How Effective has the
War on Drugs Been in Reducing Drug Use in
Colorado?”
59% of voters believe that the war on drugs has
been ineffective in reducing drug use in Colorado.
Only 2% of voters believe that the war on drugs
has been very effective, and another 27% believe
it has been somewhat effective.

Not at all
Effective
20%

Somewhat
Effective
27%

Not Very
Effective
39%

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————------------------------------------------------------------------------------------—

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64
—————

Base 500

65+

Dem

SubRural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

Total

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

Very effective

2%

1%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

3%

1%

0%

1%

3%

1%

1%

0%

8%

4%

Somewhat effective

27

30

24

30

29

24

30

23

24

29

27

23

26

31

24

50

35

23

Not very effective

39

41

38

34

39

47

38

37

39

41

37

39

41

38

42

25

30

30

Not at all effective

20

19

21

20

19

19

20

22

25

11

26

23

19

19

20

13

22

19

DK/NA/Refused

12

9

15

14

11

9

10

16

9

17

10

14

12

10

13

13

5

25

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 9

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

DK/NA
14%

Voters were asked: “How effective has
the war on drugs been in reducing drug
supply in Colorado?”

Very Effective
3%

Somewhat
Effective
22%

Not at all
Effective
25%

61% of voters believe that the war on
drugs has been ineffective in reducing the
supply of drugs. Only 3% believe it has
been very effective and another 22%
believe it has been somewhat effective.

Not Very
Effective
36%

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-------------------------------—----------------------------------------------

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total
—————

Base 500

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

Very effective

3%

2%

4%

4%

2%

3%

5%

3%

4%

2%

2%

2%

4%

3%

2%

0%

11%

0%

Somewhat effective

22

25

18

20

23

21

21

23

21

23

20

22

21

22

19

38

30

23

Not very effective

36

38

34

41

36

33

35

34

34

38

36

34

33

41

37

25

35

37

Not at all effective

25

24

27

19

23

33

26

24

28

20

29

26

27

22

27

25

19

14

DK/NA/Refused

14

11

17

16

16

11

14

16

12

17

13

15

14

12

15

13

5

26

Page 10

Voters General Perceptions on Drug
Addiction

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 11

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

59%

Voters were asked: “In general, do
you view a person with a drug
problem as a criminal who should be
punished by being sent to prison or as
someone with a health problem who
should receive treatment?”

60%
50%
40%
30%

Nearly 60% of those surveyed view
drug addiction primarily as a health
problem. Only 11% view drug
addiction primarily as a crime. 16%
volunteered “both.”

16%

13%

11%

20%
10%
0%

Criminal

Health Prblm

Depends

Both

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base

500

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

Criminal/punishment

11%

11%

11%

7%

14%

17%

7%

7%

7%

15%

11%

11%

11%

11%

11%

25%

8%

12%

Health problem/
treatment

59

54

63

68

59

49

63

60

70

45

64

57

58

61

58

63

68

58

Both

16

19

12

15

16

19

16

10

11

23

11

14

17

16

17

0

14

11

Depends

13

12

13

8

8

14

12

21

11

15

10

16

12

10

13

13

11

19

DK/NA

2

3

1

1

3

1

3

2

1

2

3

2

1

3

2

0

0

0

Page 12

Voter Opinion on the Effectiveness
of Treatment and Level of Support
for Increasing Funding for Treatment

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 13

Voters were asked: “In Colorado, publicly funded
treatment is available for approximately 20% of
those who need it. Would you support or oppose
increasing state funding to greatly expand the
availability of treatment for people with a drug
problem?“

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.
DK/NA
6%

Strongly
Oppose
12%

Strongly
Support
41%

Somewhat
oppose
8%

Nearly three-fourth’s (74%) of Colorado
voters support increasing funding to greatly
expand treatment programs. The support is
consistently high, as at least two-third’s of
the voters in every demographic category
support increasing funding for treatment

Somewhat
support
33%

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

:

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64
—————

65+

Dem

SubRural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base 500

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

Strongly support

41%

40%

41%

52%

34%

47%

46%

28%

52%

29%

42%

44%

43%

35%

39%

50%

54%

37%

Somewhat Support

33

30

35

30

36

29

33

38

26

37

37

33

32

35

34

25

24

47

Somewhat Oppose

8

10

7

6

10

10

3

9

7

10

7

7

6

11

9

0

8

9

Strongly Oppose

12

14

10

7

15

10

12

17

9

17

9

9

12

15

13

25

8

0

DK/NA/Refused

6

5

7

5

5

5

6

8

6

7

6

7

7

4

6

0

5

7

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 14

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked: “80% of state drug control funding currently goes to the criminal justice system—law enforcement,
courts, and prisons, while 20% goes to education, prevention and treatment. Do you believe that this is an appropriate
ratio, do you believe we should increase the percentage spent on criminal justice, or do you believe we should increase the
percentage spent on education, prevention, and treatment?”

90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

77%

12%

7%

5%
Appropriate Ratio

Increase % spent on
Criminal Justice

Increase % spent on
education & treatment

DK/NA/Refused

77% of voters favor increasing the percentage of funding spent on education,
prevention and treatment. Only 12% believe the current ratio is appropriate, and
even fewer (5%) would increase the percentage spent on criminal justice.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 15

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked about possible actions to reduce problem drug use and drug related
crime. They were specifically asked: “How effective do you believe it would be to provide
treatment to people with a drug problem and increase drug prevention and education
programs?”
86%
100%
80%
60%

Not at all effective

48%
11%

40%
20%

Not very effective
Somewhat Effective
Very Effective

38%

2%

9%

0%
Effective

Not Effective

86% of voters believe that providing treatment would be either very (38%) or
somewhat (48%) effective in reducing drug use and drug related crime.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 16

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

80%
Voters were asked if they agreed or
disagreed with the following
statement:“Providing effective treatment
to people with a drug problem would help
reduce drug related crime.”

80%
70%

40%
60%
50%
40%

As the graph at left shows, 80% of
Colorado voters agree that providing
effective treatment to people with a
drug problem would help reduce drug
related crime.

16%

30%

40%
20%

10%
10%

6%

0%

Agree

Disagree
Strongly

Somewhat

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base

500

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

40%

36%

44%

46%

39%

44%

41%

31%

51%

30%

40%

42%

43%

35%

40%

38%

43%

40%

Somewhat Agree

40

42

38

42

42

35

47

40

30

48

42

38

40

43

41

25

43

23

Somewhat Disagree

10

12

9

7

11

12

4

11

9

11

11

7

11

10

9

25

8

14

Strongly Disagree

6

6

7

2

6

8

7

9

8

7

3

7

4

9

6

13

5

9

DK/NA

4

4

3

2

2

2

1

9

2

4

4

5

2

4

4

0

0

Strongly Agree

14

Page 17

Voter Opinion on Reducing
Sentences for Drug Possession

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 18

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

41%

45%

Voters were asked about possible
actions to reduce drug use and drug
related crime. They were specifically
asked: “How effective would it be to
incarcerate someone who is convicted
of possessing small quantities of
drugs?”

40%
35%

28%

30%
25%

19%

20%
10%

15%
10%

60% of voters believe that
incarcerating people convicted of drug
possession is ineffective in reducing
drug use and drug related crime.

2%

5%
0%

Smwht
Effective

Very
Effective

Not Very
Effective

Not at all
Effective

DK/NA

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urbantown
ian
Black Latino Other

————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base

500

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

10%

10%

10%

12%

7%

14%

3%

13%

10%

11%

9%

9%

13%

7%

8%

38%

14%

11%

Somewhat Effective

28

28

28

27

30

29

26

24

20

36

26

28

26

30

26

25

41

28

Not Very Effective

41

44

39

39

41

38

53

40

46

39

39

44

39

43

43

38

30

30

Not at all Effective

19

17

22

21

21

18

16

19

22

12

26

18

21

19

21

0

14

23

2

1

2

1

1

1

1

3

2

2

0

0

2

2

1

0

3

Very Effective

DK/NA

9

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 19

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked: If someone with a drug problem
is convicted of possessing small quantities of drugs for
their own use, should they be punished by being sent
to prison or regarded as someone with a health
problem who should receive treatment and
supervision?

DK/NA
3%

Depends
7%

Criminal/Punishment
21%

Both
9%

As the graph on the right shows, a strong majority
of Colorado voters (60%) believe that people who
are convicted of possessing drugs should be treated
as someone with a health problem and receive
treatment. 21% favored incarceration.

Health
Problem/Treatment
60%

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total
—————

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/ Caucas
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town
ian Black Latino Other

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base

500
48%

239
52%

262
17%

84
23%

116
25%

125
14%

69
20%

100
34%

170
38%

191
28%

139
28%

139
43%

214
28%

140
81%

405
5%

23
11%

53
4%

19

Criminal/punishment

21%

21%

21%

18%

17%

26%

17%

25%

17%

26%

20%

19%

22%

21%

19%

50%

22%

30%

Health problem/
treatment 60

59

62

69

60

56

60

59

67

52

64

63

59

61

61

50

65

58

Both

9

10

7

9

11

8

8

5

7

11

7

7

9

10

10

0

8

0

Depends 7

7

7

1

9

9

10

6

7

9

5

8

7

6

8

0

3

9

DK/NA

3

3

2

3

1

4

5

3

2

4

3

4

2

3

0

3

3

4

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 20

Voters were asked to agree or
disagree with the following
statement: “Colorado would be better
off if we decreased criminal penalties
for people possessing small quantities
of drugs from a felony to a
misdemeanor and spent the money
saved on prison costs to increase drug
treatment and prevention programs.”

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

73%
80%

70%

30%

60%

50%

25%

40%

43%

30%

25%

20%

73% of voters either strongly or
somewhat favor decreasing penalties
for drug possession. Decreasing
penalties received a majority in every
demographic category.

11%
14%

10%

0%

Agree

Disagree

Strongly

Somewhat

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gender

Age

Party Affiliation

Type of Community

Ethnicity

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total

Male Female 18-34 35-45 46-55 56-64

65+

Dem

Sub Rural/
Rep Unaff. Urban urban town

Caucas
ian Black Latino Other

————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

Base

500

239
48%

262
52%

84
17%

116
23%

125
25%

69
14%

100
20%

170
34%

191
38%

139
28%

139
28%

214
43%

140
28%

405
81%

23
5%

53
11%

19
4%

43%

42%

43%

51%

38%

43%

43%

43%

54%

27%

49%

46%

44%

39%

42%

50%

43%

39%

Somewhat Agree

30

30

29

23

26

31

34

34

30

31

27

27

29

31

30

25

30

32

Somewhat Disagree

11

11

11

10

18

9

8

8

6

18

8

13

12

8

11

13

11

5

Strongly Disagree

14

15

12

14

15

17

12

9

6

19

16

12

13

17

13

13

14

25

3

1

4

1

3

1

3

6

3

4

1

2

2

5

3

Strongly Agree

DK/NA

0 3

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 21

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “People with a drug
problem who have been convicted of possessing drugs should be allowed to remain in the community under
supervision and receive treatment, just like alcoholics, so long as they work and do not commit other
crimes.”

56%
60%

50%

40%

30%

29%
56%

20%

29%

8%
4%

10%

8%

4%

0%

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somehwhat disagree

Strongly disagree

85% of voters strongly (56%) or somewhat (29%) agreed that people
arrested for drug possession should be allowed to remain in the community
if they are under supervision and receive treatment.

Page 22

Voter Opinion on State Funding
Priorities

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 23

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Voters were asked :
Would you support reducing state spending on the following to build more prisons:
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

94%

92%

90%

85%

Yes
No
11%

7%

5%

7%

ic
bl
Pu

an
or
ta

n

tio

lth
ea
H

sp

s

io

ge

at

le

uc

ol

Tr

C

Ed

n

Prisons ranked low on funding priorities for the voters. At
least 85% opposed decreasing funding in other categories in
order to increase funding for prisons.

Survey on Drugs and Drug Policy

Page 24

Prepared by Ridder/Braden, Inc.

Demographic Information
Age
Party Affiliation

18-34

17%

35-44

23

Democrat

34%

46-55

24

Republican

38

56-65

14

Unaffiliated

28

66+

20

Congressional District
Ethnicity

01

12%

White

81%

02

19

Black

5

03

17

Latino

11

04

18

Other

3

05

20

06

14

Type of Community

Gender

Urban

28%

Suburban

43

Male

48%

Rural/small town

28

Female

52