(Hartford, CT) — Two thirds of likely voters in Connecticut believe the state should implement a budget that strikes a balance between paying debt, saving money and supporting vital programs including nonprofit health and human services, according to a recent poll.
The poll also found, conversely, that only eight percent of voters believe the state should continue to collect large budget surpluses and use those funds only to pay down pension debt for state employees. At the same time, just 14 percent of voters believe that the fiscal guardrails are working as currently constructed.
The poll of 756 likely voters was conducted by Change Research for the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance (The Alliance) July 15-19, and has a 4.9 percent margin of error.
“The 2024 state budget discussions provided a difficult lesson for nonprofits that rely on state funding to provide vital programs. We learned that the fiscal guardrails that are intended to ensure the state saves surplus dollars and directs funds to pay down the state’s pension debt also prevented available dollars from being spent on other programs, regardless of need,” Alliance President & CEO Gian-Carl Casa said.
Casa said the polling is welcome news for nonprofits, who have been underfunded for decades, and will call for an update to the guardrails in the 2025 General Assembly Session.
“This polling shows that voters believe community nonprofit funding should be increased, and if necessary, the guardrails should be updated to do so. They understand it isn’t an either-or choice,” Casa said. “Voters believe the state should better balance its spending so it both pays down debt and invests in the people who depend on health and human services. We look forward to sharing that message with lawmakers in the coming months.”