Topic: College of Communication Information and Media

November 4, 2015

The Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University, in partnership with WISH-TV, Channel 8, Indianapolis, announces the completion of the annual, nonpartisan Hoosier Survey. Designed to provide policymakers and citizens with insight into key issues facing the state, the Hoosier Survey measures public opinion on topics ranging from fiscal and economic concerns, to social and lifestyle issues. This is the eighth consecutive year of the survey.

“Again this year, the Bowen Center and WISH-TV have uncovered the trends we believe could be high priorities for lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session,” said Joseph Losco, director of the Bowen Center. “Every year tells a story. Some themes are universal and ever-present, while other issues are new concerns that have Hoosiers unsettled and looking for answers.”

The results of this survey are delivered to every member of the Indiana General Assembly and top administration officials at the beginning of the calendar year, so that lawmakers can gauge public views about issues they are likely to face in the upcoming session.

Some questions posed to respondents in 2015 centered, in part, on Hoosiers’ views on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act; whether they would be in favor of or opposed to an amendment to the state’s Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and various gun sales policy proposals.

The 2015 Hoosier Survey was conducted for WISH-TV/Ball State by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). Results are based on 600 completed telephone interviews with a representative sample of adults living in Indiana. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline and cell phone; the margin of error is +/- 5.1 percent. Complete findings and methodology are available at www.bowencenterforpublicaffairs.org.