2018 election, issues focus of event at SIU

With the Illinois primary election  only a few weeks away, an open discussion March 8 (today) will examine the 2018 statewide political campaigns and recent social issues polls by Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

The Simon Poll presentation is set for 6 p.m. in the SIU Student Center auditorium. Admission is free and the public is invited. There will also be an audience Q-and-A session.

Institute staff members John T. Shaw, director; John Jackson, visiting professor; and Linda Baker, university professor, plan to outline the main findings from polls on the Illinois primary and November general elections in what Shaw said defines as “in the midst of a contentious and consequential election year.”

The discussion will also look at the findings from other statewide Simon Polls, including:

Public perception of the direction of the nation and Illinois. Illinois’ budget and taxes. Government reform and social issues, including legalizing marijuana.

“The Simon Institute has measured and analyzed public opinion in Illinois for a decade. The institute’s polls have offered provocative and rigorous snapshots of the mood of the state since 2008,” Shaw said.

The polls have also “served as an important resource for scholars who are seeking to understand important longer-term trends that shape our public policy debates,” Shaw said.

The staff plans to outline the main findings in this year’s polls and looks forward to discussing with the public and university community the “hopes and concerns of the people of Illinois that are evident from this most recent Simon Institute poll,” Shaw said.