Citizens View on NC Leaders Slightly Different than MI

In recent surveys conducted both in North Carolina and Michigan by Brogan & Partners, it was found that southerners and mid-westerners seem to think alike when it comes to their state’s leaders. When asked to rank how well civic group leaders, business leaders, education leaders, and elected leaders are serving their states, the North Carolina public gave out mediocre but passing grades, while Michigan citizens were slightly less satisfied. Despite the difference among the individual grades, however, these states both agree that civic group leaders are doing the best while they are least pleased with elected officials.

To read the North Carolina press release on this issue, visit Brogan's website.

Although there is a direct correlation between the level of grades given in both North Carolina and Michigan, respondents gave differing opinions when asked which one group they think is the most important in helping their state’s economy grow. In the mid-west, the public found elected officials to be the most important, while North Carolinians chose education leaders.

As Jim Tobin said in the press release, “[The overall survey numbers] suggest that most people aren’t wildly unhappy with elected leaders, but they seem to be asking for more from them.”

When considering this, it makes sense that Michigan citizens believe them to be the most important in helping their economy grow. However, when examining North Carolina’s results, it seems a bit odd that their respondents graded elected officials the lowest, yet found business leaders the most creative and education leaders the most important.

So, what exactly does North Carolina want from their elected officials? They believe they are serving the state poorly, but they do not find them to be all that creative or important in helping their economy grow.

What do you think? How can these results be explained?

Leaders' Importance to Economic Improvement

Clearly, many people have major concerns about the economy. We're sure it isn't just the Michiganders who evaluate their leaders critically. The Brogan Survey and various media outlets have allowed interesting conversations and thoughts to surface about issues crucial to everyday life.

As we said in earlier blogs, Michiganders graded their leaders below average. We found in the crosstabs that race played a factor in who people thought were the biggest obstacles to the economy.

What we'd now like to examine is how people responded to the question, "And of these five groups, which ONE group is the most important in helping to turn Michigan’s economy around?" Most Michiganders, 46% of them, thought elected officials are most important in improving the economy. 24.2% thought it was up to the business leaders. The pie chart shows the distribution of responses to this question.

Who do you think is most important in turning the economy around? How do you feel the economy is where you live? Who is to blame/praise for that? Who would you like to see contributing more to an improvement?

Racial Divide: Which Leaders are Biggest Obstacles to the Economy?

The Brogan Survey revealed that Michiganders grade most of their leaders at or below average. Of particular interest is that Caucasians and African Americans feel differently about which leaders pose the biggest obstacle to economic improvement.

Over twice as many African Americans as Caucasians felt that educational leaders have been the biggest obstacle in helping to turn Michigan's economy around. In fact, 20.2% of African American respondents said educational leaders are the largest impediment, while only 9.3% of Caucasians did.

The majority of people in both racial groups felt elected officials are the biggest obstacle to the economy's turn-around, with 58% of Caucasians answering in this way and 51.7% of African Americans doing the same.

Caucasians were slightly more likely to say business and union leaders were the biggest obstacles.

Do these responses warrant a red flag? What do you think these results mean?

Michigan Leadership Survey Has Lots of Data

While Daniel Howes of the Detroit News correctly excerpted parts of the recent Brogan Survey questions on Michigan leadership in today's Crisis of Confidence story, there was much more in that line of questioning.

To read our press release on the subject, click here.

The report card part of the findings were interesting. The 600-person telephone poll asked adults statewide to grade groups of leaders based on how well they are "currently serving the State of Michigan." The choices were aligned like a report card: A, B, C, D or F. The report card results are:

• Civic group leaders B-
• Business leaders C
• Education leaders C
• Union leaders C-
• Elected leaders D+

Note that we intentionally did not focus on any one person, any one organization or any one political party. We were more trying to get at the mood of people in the state to serve as context in advance of the Mackinac event than trying to do a typical political poll.

What do you think? Read all the data from these questions here, completely unfiltered, including cross tabs by region, ethnicity, gender and age. Once you do, leave a comment telling us what you think of all this.

Our Michigan Launch is a Page 1-A Story

The Detroit News certainly found our first Michigan Brogan Survey findings to be of interest. Check out this front page headline, "Crisis of Confidence".
In the story, columnist Daniel Howes notes some of the findings of "Brogan's report-card style survey." We're pleased with the coverage, to be sure, and hope the findings help frame a constructive, productive discussion during the Mackinac Conference.