Key Findings

• For the first time in the survey’s history, more Idahoans (43%) feel the state is off on the wrong track.
• Idahoans remain reserved about the economic outlook of the state– split between things staying the same (38%) and getting worse (36%).
• Education, jobs and the economy, and housing remain Idahoans’ top 3 legislative priorities.
• Idahoans continue to be concerned with a range of housing issues and how they affect their own financial situations.
• Newcomers to Idaho within the last 10 years are more likely to identify as Republicans (+11 points), and less likely to identify as Independents (-10 points).
• 1/3 of Idahoans favor maintaining Idaho’s existing abortion law, while 58% favor expanding exceptions to it, though they disagree on what those exceptions should be.
• Idahoans trust public libraries and librarians (69%) to choose the books that are made available in them.
• Idahoans favor a primary election (74%) over a caucus (13%) and for U.S. presidential and Idaho state primaries to be held on the same day (74%).
• Idahoans generally favor a top-four primary system but oppose a ranked-choice voting system – only 29% said they would favor both.

The 2024 Idaho Public Policy Survey conducted by the Boise State University School of Public Service polled 1,007 Idahoans representing 44 of Idaho’s 44 counties.

Dr. Matthew May, Survey Research Director at the BSU School of Public Service and Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Research Associate at the Idaho Policy Institute, join Melissa Davlin on Idaho Reports this week to discuss the findings from this year’s survey. Idaho Reports airs Friday at 8pm on Idaho Public Television.