In a new Second Reading podcast, Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at several data points from Texas Politics Project polling to wrap up 2022 and anticipate dynamics in Texas politics in 2023. For a taste of what's in the podcast, see the links below the player.
Some data points and context disussed in the podcast
60%: The share of Republican voters who said immigration and the border was the issue most important to their vote in the 2022 general election. In the same October poll, only 11% of Republicans said Texas spent "too much" state revenue on border security.
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration / border | 1% | 25% | 60% |
| State economy | 9% | 21% | 18% |
| Abortion | 26% | 4% | 3% |
| Gun violence | 16% | 3% | 2% |
| Environment / climate change | 13% | 9% | 1% |
| Health care | 10% | 5% | 1% |
| Voting & elections | 9% | 3% | 3% |
| Property taxes | 1% | 8% | 4% |
| The state's electric grid | 7% | 4% | 2% |
| Public education | 3% | 4% | 1% |
| Public safety | 5% | 0% | 4% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too little | 13% | 32% | 45% |
| Too much | 51% | 32% | 11% |
| About the right amount | 17% | 16% | 33% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 20% | 20% | 11% |
52%: The share of Republicans who said in our April 2022 poll that population growth is bad for the state. Overall, only 34% said population growth was good for the state.
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Good | 34% |
| Bad | 40% |
| Don’t have an opinion | 27% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 42% | 25% | 29% |
| Bad | 24% | 42% | 52% |
| Don’t have an opinion | 33% | 33% | 19% |
50%: The share of Republicans who disagree with same-sex marriage being legal in Texas. Overall, 53% of Texans agree it should be legal.
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Agree, should be legal | 53% |
| Disagree, should not be legal | 32% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 15% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree, should be legal | 78% | 51% | 35% |
| Disagree, should not be legal | 11% | 28% | 50% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 12% | 21% | 16% |
20%: The share of Texans who approved of how state leaders and the Texas Legislature handled property Texas in October 2021, after the conclusion of the marathon 2021 session that included three special sessions. Among Texans overall, ratings were only lower for handling of the electric grid and foster care.
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| 2nd Am. rights | 46% |
| Election & voting laws | 43% |
| Public safety | 42% |
| Immigration/border security | 41% |
| COVID | 40% |
| Abortion | 39% |
| Gun violence | 35% |
| Transgender students in schools | 28% |
| K-12 education | 26% |
| Redistricting | 25% |
| Property taxes | 20% |
| Electric grid | 18% |
| Foster care | 15% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 7% |
| Approve somewhat | 13% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 22% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 20% |
| Disapprove strongly | 26% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 12% |
About the Second Reading podcast. The podcast has been produced intermittently by Jim Henson for the Texas Politics Project, with production support from UT's Liberal Arts Development Studio, since 2016. You can find past episodes and subscribe to the Second Reading podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.