May 25, 2023

BATON ROUGE–Researchers from the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication have released the first report of the 2023 Louisiana Survey. Findings show residents remain pessimistic about the direction of the state, and confidence in state government remains low.

The 2023 Louisiana Survey includes two distinct efforts to sample residents of the state and conduct interviews. The Louisiana Survey polled 500 adult residents through traditional telephone-based surveys from across the state to find out how Louisianians view their government and its policies. The survey was conducted from March 22 to April 4, 2023, and the total sample has a +/- 5.8 margin of error. Additionally, the Louisiana Survey polled 509 adult residents in a survey administered online. The survey was conducted from March 22 to March 30, 2023, and the total sample has a +/- 6% margin of error. The primary report is based on the traditional telephone-based portion of the study. 

Findings from the first of three reports indicate the following views on state issues:

• Most Louisiana residents (61%) believe the state is heading in the wrong direction. While this marks a slight decline of five percentage points from last year, it is the second consecutive year in which a majority of state residents said the state is heading in the wrong direction.
• This year, crime surged to the top of state residents’ concerns, named by about one-fifth of respondents (19%).
• Confidence in state government remains low. Only 28% of Louisiana residents say they are either “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in state government to address pressing problems.
• The index of consumer sentiment, which measures changes in the outlook for the economy, for Louisiana is 53.5 in the early spring of 2023, a slight improvement over 50.3 in 2022, but well below the value for the United States as a whole (63.5).
• Four out of five Louisiana residents (80%) say that crime has increased over the last few years. One-fourth of state residents report they were the victim of a property crime within the past year, and 15% report they were attacked or threatened with violence.
• Most Louisiana adults (76%) visited a doctor in the past year for a routine checkup. Yet 22% of adult Louisiana residents have not seen a doctor in more than a year.
• Overall, 13% of adult Louisiana residents have needed to see a doctor for their physical health in the past year but could not because they could not afford the cost. The same share (13%) have needed mental health care within the past year but could not afford it.

Michael Henderson, Ph.D., director of the Louisiana Survey, is available for interviews. Contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu to schedule. 

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The Louisiana Survey has been conducted since 2003, establishing rich longitudinal measures of public opinion in Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana Survey is to establish benchmarks as well as to capture change in residents’ assessments of state government services. The survey is further dedicated to tracking public opinion on the contemporary policy issues that face the state. Each iteration of the Louisiana Survey contains core items designed to serve as barometers of public sentiment, including assessments of whether the state is heading in the right direction or wrong direction, perceptions about the most important problems facing the state, as well as evaluations of public revenue sources and spending priorities.

The survey is a project of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, an integral part of the Manship School of Mass Communication. The Reilly Center’s mission is to generate thoughtful programs, dialogue and research about mass communication and its many-faceted relationships with social, economic and political issues.

Read the full Louisiana Survey report on the LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs website.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: Master of Mass Communication, Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs, Certificate of Strategic Communication and a dual MMC/Law degree. Like us on Facebook @ManshipSchool, or follow us on Twitter @ManshipSchool, Instagram @ManshipSchool and LinkedIn LSU Manship School of Mass Communication.