In the latest Second Reading podcast of 2023, Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at results from the December 2022 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll related to business and politics, particular attitudes on business incentives such as those in the Chapter 313 program, and Republican pushback on corporate environment, social, and governance (ESG) policies.
Some data points and context mentioned in the podcast
Selected views of corporate response to selected ESG-related issues (click to see all issues)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Too much | 29% |
| About the right amount | 15% |
| Too little | 44% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 12% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too much | 5% | 33% | 53% |
| About the right amount | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Too little | 76% | 34% | 17% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 7% | 16% | 12% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Too much | 27% |
| About the right amount | 16% |
| Too little | 39% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 18% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too much | 7% | 26% | 49% |
| About the right amount | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| Too little | 66% | 37% | 14% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 14% | 24% | 18% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Too much | 21% |
| About the right amount | 27% |
| Too little | 40% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 12% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too much | 7% | 18% | 37% |
| About the right amount | 16% | 27% | 37% |
| Too little | 69% | 36% | 14% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 8% | 20% | 13% |
Institutional/organizational favorability ratings
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Local businesses in your area | 75% |
| Churches & faith organizations | 50% |
| Universities & colleges | 45% |
| Public schools (K-12) | 44% |
| Major companies / corporations based in the U.S. | 41% |
| Labor unions | 40% |
| Major companies / corporations based outside the U.S. | 16% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local businesses in your area | 75% | 62% | 78% |
| Churches & faith organizations | 35% | 35% | 67% |
| Universities & colleges | 66% | 30% | 27% |
| Public schools (K-12) | 61% | 31% | 31% |
| Major companies / corporations based in the U.S. | 36% | 30% | 49% |
| Labor unions | 66% | 30% | 19% |
| Major companies / corporations based outside the U.S. | 16% | 15% | 16% |
Economic incentives/benefits for business
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Should | 46% |
| Should not | 31% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 23% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Should | 44% | 35% | 53% |
| Should not | 31% | 35% | 29% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 25% | 30% | 18% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Should | 51% |
| Should not | 30% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 20% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Should | 46% | 46% | 61% |
| Should not | 36% | 32% | 23% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 18% | 22% | 16% |
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.