Spending

Priorities Where Does Free Tuition Fit In?

Q - Imagine your state had a new amount of money to fund any of the following programs, and you could
choose which programs received this funding. Which programs would be your highest priorities, and which
would be your lowest priorities?

Overall 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Healthcare
1. Healthcare Healthcare
1. Healthcare Healthcare
1. Healthcare Healthcare
1. Healthcare Healthcare
1. Healthcare Healthcare
1. Healthcare
K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education
2. K-12 ed. 2. K-12 ed. 2. K-12 ed. 2. K-12 ed. 2. K-12 ed. 2. K-12 ed.
Free 2-year tuition* Free 2-year tuition* Free 2-year tuition* Free 2-year tuition* Free 2-year tuition* Roads and bridges
3. Free 2-year tuition* 3. Free 2-year tuition* 3. Free 2-year tuition* 3. Free 2-year tuition* 3. Roads/bridges 3. Roads/bridges
Free 4-year tuition** Free 4-year tuition** Free 4-year tuition** Free 4-year tuition** Preschool education Free 2-year tuition*
4. Free 4-year tuition**
Roads and bridges 4. Free 4-year tuition**
Preschool education 4. Free 4-year tuition**
Preschool education 4. Free 4-year tuition**
Roads and bridges 4. Free 2-year tuition*
Parks and natural resources 4. Free 2-year tuition*
Preschool education
5. Roads/bridges
Preschool education 5. Preschool ed.
Roads and bridges 5. Preschool ed.
Roads and bridges 5. Roads/bridges
Preschool education 5. Preschool ed.
Free 4-year tuition** 5. Preschool ed.
Free 4-year tuition**
6. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 6. Roads/bridges
Parks and natural resources 6. Roads/bridges
Parks and natural resources 6. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 6. Parks/nat. resources
Roads and bridges Public transit systems
6. Free 4-year tuition**
7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems 7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems 7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems 7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems 7. Free 4-year tuition**
Public transit systems Parks and natural resources
7. Public transit systems
Prisons
8. Public transit systems Prisons
8. Public transit systems Prisons
8. Public transit systems Prisons
8. Public transit systems Prisons
8. Public transit systems Prisons
8. Parks/nat. resources
9. Prisons 9. Prisons 9. Prisons 9. Prisons 9. Prisons 9. Prisons

Democrat Republican Independent

Healthcare
1. Healthcare
K-12 education
2. K-12 ed.
Free 2-year tuition*
3. Free 2-year tuition*
Free 4-year tuition**
4. Free 4-year tuition**
Preschool education
5. Preschool ed.
Roads and bridges
Parks and natural resources
6. Roads/bridges
Parks and natural resources
7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems
Prisons
8. Public transit systems
9. Prisons
K-12 education
1. K-12 ed.
Healthcare
2. Healthcare
Roads and bridges
3. Roads/bridges
Free 2-year tuition*
4. Free 2-year tuition*
Preschool education
5. Preschool ed.
6. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems
Parks
Free 4-year tuition**
7. Public transit systems
Prisons
8. Free 4-year tuition**
9. Prisons
Healthcare
1. Healthcare
K-12 education
2. K-12 ed.
Free 2-year tuition*
3. Free 2-year tuition*
Free 4-year tuition**
4. Free 4-year tuition**
Roads and bridges
5. Roads/bridges
Preschool education
6. Preschool ed.
and natural resources
7. Parks/nat. resources
Public transit systems
Prisons
8. Public transit systems
9. Prisons

*Free tuition at 2-year public technical and community colleges

**Free tuition at 4-year public universities and colleges Highest spending priority (overall) Lowest spending priority (overall) 1
Spending Tradeoffs Which Programs Could Be Cut to Fund Free Tuition?
Q - Imagine you had the choice to reduce funding for any of the following programs in order to fund free
tuition at public universities or colleges for anyone who is academically qualified. Which existing programs
would you be most willing to reduce funding for, and which would you be least willing to reduce funding
for, for the sake of offering free tuition to academically qualified students?

Overall 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare K-12 education K-12 education
1. Prisons 1. Prisons 1. Prisons 1. Prisons 1. Prisons 1. Prisons
K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education K-12 education Healthcare Healthcare
2. Public transit 2. Public transit 2. Public transit 2. Public transit 2. Public transit 2. Parks/nat. resources
Roads and bridges Preschool education Roads and bridges Roads and bridges Roads and bridges Roads and bridges
3. Parks/nat. resources
Preschool education 3. Parks/nat. resources
Roads and bridges 3. Parks/nat. resources
Preschool education 3. Parks/nat. resources
Preschool education 3. Parks/nat. resources
Preschool education 3. Preschool ed.
Public transit systems
4. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 4. Roads/bridges
Parks and natural resources 4. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 4. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 4. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources 4. Public transit
Preschool education
5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems 5. Preschool ed.
Public transit systems 5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems 5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems 5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems 5. Roads/bridges
Parks and natural resources
6. K-12 ed.
Prisons 6. K-12 ed.
Prisons 6. K-12 ed.
Prisons 6. K-12 ed.
Prisons 6. Healthcare
Prisons 6. Healthcare
Prisons
7. Healthcare 7. Healthcare 7. Healthcare 7. Healthcare 7. K-12 ed. 7. K-12 ed.

DemocratK-12 Republican Independent

education
1. Prisons
Healthcare
2. Public transit
Preschool education
3. Parks/nat. resources
Parks and natural resources
4. Roads/bridges
Roads and bridges
Parks and natural resources
5. Preschool ed.
Public transit systems
6. Healthcare
Prisons
7. K-12 ed.
Healthcare Healthcare
1. Prisons 1. Prisons
K-12 education K-12 education
2. Public transit 2. Public transit
Roads and bridges Roads and bridges
3. Parks/nat. resources 3. Parks/nat. resources
Preschool education Preschool education
4. Preschool ed.
4. Preschool ed.
Parks and natural resources
5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems 5. Roads/bridges
Public transit systems
6. K-12 ed.
Prisons 6. K-12 ed.
Prisons
7. Healthcare 7. Healthcare

Most acceptable to cut (overall) Least acceptable to cut (overall) 2

 Trends by Age Overall Support
Somewhat Support:

Strongly Support:

24
26 24
31 31
31 28
37 41 39 35
33 33
38 33
47 28
35
32 29 33 34
36 35 36
35
39 43
33 41

66 64
62
50 57 58
47
40 41 46 47 45 48 45 48
35 36 37 39 39 37 37
33 34 34 31
27 28
23 24

Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov Dec Apr Aug Sept Nov

All 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

December 16-QTUITION2/ April 17-QPRETUITION2/ August 17-Q3/ September 17-QLA2/ November 17-QLA14. Do you favor or oppose your state providing free tuition at public universities or colleges for 3
anyone who is academically qualified?