ROCK HILL — A majority of South Carolina residents rate the current economy as bad, and nearly half say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, according to the latest Winthrop Poll released by Winthrop University in Rock Hill.
The statewide survey found that 62 percent of respondents called the economy either fairly bad or very bad, while 33 percent rated it good. Forty-eight percent said they are not as well off financially than they were a year ago, compared with 21 percent who said they are better off and 31 percent who said their finances are about the same.
For households across York and Lancaster counties, the poll puts numbers to the pocketbook pressures that shape daily decisions, from the grocery aisle to the rent check. Looking ahead, residents were not optimistic. Thirty-eight percent expect the national economy to be worse a year from now, 23 percent expect it to stay about the same, and 28 percent expect it to improve.
- 67% said they find grocery costs as difficult or very difficult to afford.
- Around 59% said they find that health care costs including prescription medication are difficult to pay for, as well as housing costs such as rent and mortgages.
- 61% said going out to dinner is unaffordable, while 72% said a week-long vacation is out of their reach.
- 97% said, regardless of party, that people born in the U.S. to parents born in the U.S. should be considered U.S. citizens.
- 84% said people born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated legally should be considered U.S. citizens. The number dropped when considering those with illegal parents.
- 46% of all respondents think having people of many races, ethnic groups and nationalities makes the U.S. a better place.
- 31% said Confederate monuments should be left alone, while 34% said a plaque or marker should be added for context or historical interpretation.
- Nearly ¾ of respondents said the arts and culture are important, with many saying that it is important to teach the arts, such as dance, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts and literature, to elementary, middle and high school students.
Cost of living
Affordability drove much of the survey. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said groceries are difficult or very difficult to afford, while 28 percent said groceries are easy to afford.
Health care costs, including insurance and prescription medication, were difficult or very difficult to afford for 59 percent of respondents. Housing costs such as rent and mortgages were difficult or very difficult for 58 percent.
Smaller pleasures felt out of reach for many. Sixty-one percent described going out to dinner as unaffordable, and 72 percent said the same about taking a weeklong vacation.
Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop Poll, said the rising cost of goods and services is largely driven by national forces, leaving little that state lawmakers can do to address the root causes. He said things once seen as simple pleasures, such as an annual vacation or an occasional dinner out, now feel out of reach for most South Carolinians.
Citizenship and diversity
On questions of citizenship, South Carolinians lined up closely with national opinion in some areas and diverged in others. Ninety-seven percent of respondents said people born in the United States to parents who were also born here should be considered citizens, a view shared by 98 percent of both Republicans and Democrats.
Support fell to 84 percent for people born in the United States to parents who immigrated legally. It dropped further, to 45 percent, for those born here to parents who immigrated illegally. That figure split sharply by party, with 25 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats saying yes.
Asked whether a growing number of people of many races, ethnic groups and nationalities makes the United States a better place to live, 46 percent of all respondents said yes. Sixty-two percent of Democrats agreed, compared with 35 percent of Republicans.
Confederate monuments and the Civil War
Respondents were divided on how to handle monuments to Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. Thirty-one percent said to leave them as they are, while 34 percent said to leave them in place but add a plaque or marker providing context and historical interpretation. Seventeen percent favored moving them to a museum, and 9 percent said to remove them completely.
Huffmon noted that the state legislature has made it nearly impossible to alter the monuments, a position he said only about 3 in 10 South Carolinians share. He said partisanship had a larger effect on those attitudes than race.
On the Confederate battle flag, 34 percent of respondents said it represents Southern pride, 24 percent said it represents racial conflict, and 31 percent said it stands equally for both. Half of all respondents said the Civil War was fought equally over slavery and states’ rights, while 22 percent said it was mainly about slavery and 17 percent said it was mainly about states’ rights.
Arts education
The arts drew broad support. Nearly three quarters of respondents, 73 percent, said arts and culture are very or somewhat important to them personally. When asked about teaching the arts in schools, 82 percent said it was very or somewhat important for elementary students, with similarly high marks for middle and high school.
Respondents pointed to instruction in dance, media arts, music, theater, visual arts and literature. Huffmon said large majorities in the state see value in students receiving some education in the arts, though support trailed national figures from an earlier survey.
About the poll
The Winthrop Poll is sponsored and funded by the Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at Winthrop University. The survey was distributed online from April 29 to May 12, with 1,434 weighted respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.59 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. The poll surveyed the general adult population of South Carolina rather than likely or registered voters.
Full results, commentary and methodology are available on the Winthrop Poll website at https://www.winthrop.edu/winthroppoll/poll-results.aspx
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