Poll: Louisiana Favors TOPS Education Program

Based upon a Southern Media & Opinion Research poll, it appears that the TOPS poll is one of the more popular state programs and voters want the program to be run by the legislators and not by an education board, that the program motivates students and that the program helps to retain students in Louisiana.

Here is the complete poll:

TOPS PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY

LOUISIANA VOTERS

April 2008

Prepared by:

Southern Media & Opinion Research
727 Spain Street
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
Tel: (225) 383-4509
Fax: (225) 343-3745

©SOUTHERN MEDIA & OPINION RESEARCH
ABOUT THE POLL

This statewide poll was developed and conducted by Southern Media & Opinion Research, Incorporated for Taylor Energy.

Interviews for this statewide poll were completed by telephone with 600 likely Louisiana voters from Wednesday, March 26, 2008, through Wednesday, April 9, 2008.

The overall margin of error for the statewide statistics obtained from the survey data is not greater than plus or minus 4.0 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. In other words, there is a 95% certainty that the statistics presented from the results obtained on this survey of 600 likely voters statewide will not be more than 4.0 percentage above or below the figure that would be obtained if all of the likely voters in the state would have been interviewed.

The sample error may be larger for subgroup responses based on attitudinal and demographic variables such as area, age, etc. There are other sources of potential error which cannot be calculated including question wording and order of question presentation.

An interval sample design was used to select telephone numbers from a sample frame of telephone numbers for likely voter households.

Respondents were assigned to one of four geographic areas based on their parish of residence. The four geographic areas along with the parishes comprising those areas are:

New Orleans metropolitan area, (includes Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Washington parishes); Florida-River Parishes, (includes Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes); Acadiana-southwest, (includes Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne and Vermilion parishes); North Louisiana, (includes Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll and Winn parishes).

A quota ensuring representative voter participation by sex in the study was imposed. A statistical weighting procedure was employed to normalize the sample to the voter population based on voter sex and race.

Voters overwhelmingly favor legislators controlling college tuition increases.

At present, college tuition increases must be approved by the state legislature. Would you want your state legislators

to vote for or against legislation which would VOTE FOR 14.3

allow appointed college board members VOTE AGAINST 77.3

to raise tuition without legislative approval? (DNK/WS) 8.4

Who do you think is more accountable to STATE LEGISLATURE 70.2

taxpayers: your elected state legislators APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS 17.2

or appointed college board members? (DNK/WS) 12.6

Have you heard about a college tuition plan YES 82.3

called TOPS, the Tuition Opportunity Program NO 17.1

for Students? (DNK/WS) 0.6

The state has been telling students in middle school and high school that if they complete a college preparatory curriculum, graduate with a 2.5 G.P.A. (grade point average) and make a 20 on the A.C.T., the state will pay their college tuition for four years. The program is known as

TOPS. Do you think the state should continue YES 93.1

honoring this commitment to the high school NO 3.9

graduates that qualify? (DNK/WS) 2.9

How would you rate the money spent on the TOPS AMONG THE BEST 46.8

program compared to other state funded programs. AVERAGE 30.3

Would you say that TOPS is among the best AMONG THE WORST 1.9

government spending programs, that TOPS (DNK/WS) 21.0

is an average government spending program, or

that TOPS is among the worst government spending programs?

Do you agree or disagree that having TOPS:

AGREE DISAGREE (DNK/WS)

motivates kids to place a greater emphasis

on their school work and making good grades 85.6 8.4 6.0

helps keep bright kids in Louisiana 67.2 21.8 11.0

attracts bright kids who left Louisiana to

come back to Louisiana 44.6 38.1 17.3

keeps kids out of trouble 69.6 22.1 8.2

Would you say TOPS has done a lot, some, a A LOT 72.3

little or nothing at all to provide the SOME 15.6

opportunity for students to go to college? A LITTLE 3.9

NOTHING AT ALL 0.8

(DNK/WS) 7.5

Some people say the state is spending too much money on TOPS because there are too many students getting into the program. They say the state should set a limit on TOPS by allowing only students who are financially needy to participate. Other people say TOPS should continue fully-funded by the state for all students who qualify because it is motivating kids to take harder courses in high school and make better grades. Which do you agree with more: 1) those who want to limit the amount of money the state spends on TOPS, or 2) those who say put the money in it so kids will be motivated to do better in school and graduate from college?

THOSE WHO WANT TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT 12.3

THOSE WHO SAY PUT THE MONEY IN 82.7

(DNK/WS) 4.9

Should this additional funding for financially YES 56.6

needy students be limited to only those students NO 34.3

who qualify for TOPS or should it be available (DNK/WS) 9.1

to those who do not qualify for TOPS?

What do you believe to be the most important ABILITY OF LA FAMILIES

fact to be considered in setting tuition: TO PAY 47.2

1) the ability of the families of Louisiana SET RATES EQUAL TO OTHER

to pay tuition, or 2) that Louisiana set STATES IN REGION 39.5

tuition at rates that are equal to the rates (DNK/WS) 13.3

charged by other states within our region?

In determining the State funding for public NUMBER OF STUDENTS 18.6

colleges which criteria is more important: NUMBER OF GRADUATES 75.6

1) the number of students attending college, (DNK/WS) 5.8

or 2) the number of students who graduate

from the college?

Would you favor or oppose a constitutional YES 74.5

amendment that would protect the TOPS program NO 17.4

from future financial limitations? (DNK/WS) 8.1

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