The Texas Politics Project

In the May 2011 UT/Tribune Poll, respondents were asked: "The Texas legislature is currently discussing different ways to reduce state spending in order to address the state’s budget shortfall. Please think about the following list of proposals for cutting the budget, and check all of the measures you think should be taken to reduce spending. (Check all that apply)"

Response items in the May poll included: Cut the state’s share of primary and secondary education funding; Cut the state’s share of higher education funding ; End funding for pre-kindergarten classes; Reduce funding of state grants to college students; Reduce state contributions to teacher and state employee retirement programs; End funding for the children's health insurance program; End state environmental regulation and leave it to the federal government; Cut payments to Medicaid providers like doctors and hospitals; Cut state funding for nursing home care;  Close one or more prisons for adults; Close one or more prisons for juveniles; Reduce funding for new highway construction; Reduce funding for border security.

Results for the May poll are reported in the second column of the table. (under "May 2011").

An identically-phrased question was asked in the February 2011 UT/Tribune poll, at the beginning of the legislative session. For 11 of the 13 response items listed above, an identical response option was also given in the February poll. The results for each of these options are included in the third column of the table (under "February 2011"). Because there was only one response option for education funding in the February pool, and it was worded differently than the two options included in the May poll, the results for the education-related response option in the February poll are not included in this table.