Nearly One-Third Of Ohioans Want State To Spend More Money On Health, Education

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Article Date: 02 Aug 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Nearly one third of Ohioans would like the state to spend more money on healthcare, according to the fourth annual Ohio Health Issues Poll, which gauges Ohioans' opinions on healthcare topics. The Ohio Health Issues Poll is funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. In future weeks, the Health Foundation will announce other results from the poll including information about insurance, medical homes and medical debt.

Respondents were asked "Thinking about the Ohio budget, what area of state government would you MOST like to see the state of Ohio spend more money on?"

Here's how Ohioans answered:

- 32 percent would like the state to spend more money on healthcare
- 26 percent would like the state to spend more money on primary and secondary education
- 19 percent would like the state to spend more money on economic development
- 10 percent would like the state to spend more money on construction and maintenance of roads and bridges
- 8 percent would like the state to spend more money on higher education
- 2 percent would like the state to spend more money on prisons and safety

For some demographics, healthcare fell to second place. In these instances, these groups wanted the state to spend more money on primary and secondary education. They include:

- African Americans
- The uninsured
- Ohioans ages 30-45
- Ohioans living in a household with children
- Ohioans living above 200 percent Federal Poverty Guidelines
- Males

The Ohio Health Issues Poll is part of the Ohio Poll conducted twice a year by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.

Methodology for the Ohio Health Issues Poll

Each year, a random sample of adults from throughout Ohio is interviewed by telephone. In 95 of 100 cases, the statewide estimates will be accurate to ±3.4%. For demographic subgroups, the margin of error will be higher depending upon the number of people in the sample. In addition to sampling error, there are other sources of variation inherent in public opinion studies, such as non-response, question wording, or context effects that can introduce error or bias.

The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is an independent foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of the Cincinnati region. The Foundation awards grants to non-profit and governmental organizations for selected health programs and activities in Cincinnati and 20 surrounding counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Since 1996, the Health Foundation has invested more than $100 million to support local health care programs that address the objectives of the Foundation's four focus areas and general community health.

The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati