Michigan State University's State of the State Survey is a landline phone and cellphone survey of about 1,000 state residents per quarter. It's goal is to offer research opportunities, to tap state attitudes and opinions on trending topics and to foster education at every level. It is a project of MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research in the university's College of Social Science.The Institute's Office for Survey Reserach conducts the survey. More information about the survey is available at http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/soss.

1. State of the State Survey
Winter 2013
Charles L. Ballard
Professor, Department of Economics
Director, State of the State Survey
Institute for Public Policy and Social Research
ballard@msu.edu
517.353.2961

2. State of the State Survey
Winter 2013
Ratings for Obama Improve;
Snyder Stays About the Same;
Consumer Confidence Mixed

3. About SOSS Round 64
1,013 Interviews Completed
January 14, 2013 – March 4, 2013

4. President Obama’s
positive ratings
improved to their
highest level since
Summer 2009.

5. Michigan Residents' Ratings of President Obama's
Performance, Winter 2013
35 31.2
29.6
30
22.0
25
17.2
20
Percent
15
10
5
0
Excellent Good Fair Poor

6. Percentage of Michigan Residents Rating President Obama's
Performance as "Excellent" or "Good", 2009-2013
80
70.7
70
62.6
60 53.2
50 44.5
48.4
44.2 43.9 44.5 42.8
Percent
40.4 40.6 41.0
40 36.9
32.7
30
20
10
0

7. Percentage of Michigan Residents Rating
U.S. President's Performance as
"Excellent" or "Good", 1995-2013
80
70 66.9
60 55.1 57.7
50
56.0
53.0 48.4 Clinton
49.5 47.4 43.1 42.8
40.8 42.3
Percent
40 44.3
40.6 41.0 Bush
32.4 36.9
30
27.5
20.5 Obama
20
17.3
10
0

8. Governor Snyder’s approval
ratings were basically
unchanged.

9. Michigan Residents' Ratings of Governor Snyder's
Performance, Winter 2013
33.1 33.0
35
27.4
30
25
20
Percent
15
10 6.6
5
0
Excellent Good Fair Poor

10. Percentage of Michigan Residents Rating Performance of
Governors as "Excellent" or "Good", 1995-2013
60
55.0 57.2
52.5
50.6
49.5
50 48.7
46.7
40 43.7 43.6
35.3 36.8 35.5
Engler
34.4
Percent
30 31.0
31.8
33.0 34.0
25.3 Granholm
20 23.0
Snyder
20.7
10
0
Year

11. Consumer confidence:
Some indicators improve;
others don’t.
In every case, we remain
well below 1999, and
well above 2009.

12. Assessments of the
current financial
situation improved
from Fall 2012 to
Winter 2013.

13. Michigan Residents' Assessments of Their Current
Financial Situation, Winter 2013
50
46.3
45
40
35
28.7
30
Percent
25
20
15
10.6
10 8.1
6.3
5
0
Excellent Good Just Fair Not So Good Poor

14. Percent of Michigan Residents Who Rate Their Current
Financial Situation As "Excellent" or "Good", 1995-2013
70
64.1 63.9 62.9
65
60.9 62.2
60
60.2 61.4
56.4
54.1 54.4
55
52.6
54.0 54.9 50.8
Percent
50
47.3 47.3
49.3 47.8
45
43.4 44.0
40
35
30

15. Michigan residents’
assessment of whether they
are better off or worse off
than one year before were
less favorable in Winter
2013 than in Fall 2012.

16. Michigan Residents' Beliefs About Whether They Are
Better Off Than One Year Ago, Winter 2013
40
37.5
34.9
35
30
27.6
25
Percent
20
15
10
5
0
Better Off About the Same Worse Off

17. Michigan Residents' Beliefs About Whether They Are Better
Off or Worse Off Than One Year Ago, 1995-2013
70
62.6
61.6
59.6
60
52.6 53.2
55.8 50.6
50 48.4
50.2 44.5
44.6 41.7
40.2 45.1
40 38.5 Better Off
37.5
Percent
35.4 35.7
31.8 31.7 34.2 34.9
30 27.4 32.6 Worse Off
24.2 26.2
18.5 19.8
20 18.1 23.0
17.7
15.2 14.4
10 14.3
0

18. Michigan residents’ assessment of
whether they will be better off
one year from now were also less
favorable in Winter 2013 than in
Fall 2012.
However, those who think they will
be better off still outnumbered
those who think they will be
worse off by about 2 to 1.

19. Michigan Residents' Beliefs About Whether They Will
Be Better Off One Year From Now, Winter 2013
60
55.2
50
40
Percent
30 28.7
20
16.1
10
0
Better Off About the Same Worse Off

20. Michigan Residents' Beliefs About Whether They
Will Be Better Off One Year From Now, 1995-2013
80
70.5
70 65.9 66.2
66.6 61.0 61.0
57.2 59.8 60.1
60
58.6 54.0
60.0 51.4
50 45.1
48.6
46.4 55.2
50.5 48.7
Percent
48.4
40 35.5
Better Off
34.7
33.1
30.4 29.8
30 28.5 28.7
29.2 Worse Off
19.9 19.1 26.1
20 20.5
12.3 20.1 19.3
10 14.7
13.1 11.9
9.5 10.7
0

21. Attitudes by
Race and Gender

22. Views of Michigan Residents
by Race and Sex
State of
Women Men Whites Blacks
Michigan
Obama
48.4% 50.5% 46.2% 42.0% 79.1%
“Excellent” or Good”
Snyder
34.0% 32.8% 35.3% 35.2% 23.7%
“Excellent” or Good”

23. Attitudes by Political Party

24. Views of Michigan
Residents
by Political Party
State of
Republican Independent Democrat
Michigan
Obama
48.4% 14.3% 38.0% 85.5%
“Excellent” or Good”
Snyder
34.0% 56.9% 36.7% 19.8%
“Excellent” or Good”

25. Regional Attitudes

26. Views of Residents from
Different Regions in Michigan
Wayne,
State of City of SEMCOG Grand Rapids
Oakland,
Michigan Detroit Regiona Areab
Macomb
Obama
48.4% 69.3% 55.3% 54.1% 41.4%
“Excellent” or Good”
Snyder
34.0% 30.5% 31.5% 33.3% 43.1%
“Excellent” or Good”
a Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties
b Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Ottawa Counties
c Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties

27. How to Learn More about SOSS:
http://ippsr.msu.edu/SOSS/
Charles Ballard: ballard@msu.edu
517.353.2961
Cynthia Kyle: kylec@msu.edu
517.353.1731
Graham Pierce: glpierce@msu.edu
517.884.0364

28. THANK YOU!