NORFOLK, Va. — A new poll from Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Civic Leadership shows a disconnect between voters’ preferences and actions in the General Assembly, including some of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's priorities and supported policies.
The poll shows most Virginia voters disagree with Youngkin's views on Critical Race Theory, environmental policies and vaccine mandates, but they agree with his call for a grocery tax repeal.
The Wason Center surveyed 701 registered voters across the state between Jan. 26 and Feb. 15, reflective of different voter demographics and political leanings.
About 59% of voters said they want to spend Virginia’s budget surplus on government services – like education and public safety – while 38% said they support tax cuts or rebates instead.
A strong majority, 70%, also supports cutting the grocery tax.
"Most want to see some form of repeal [of the grocery tax] and we are seeing that play out in the General Assembly," said Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, research director for the Wason Center.
Most voters disagreed with Youngkin's positions on Critical Race Theory.
About 63% of voters support teaching how racism continues to impact American society, with 57% opposing a ban on Critical Race Theory.
About a third of voters surveyed took opposite stances.
"It appears that a majority do not support banning those teachings, and of course acknowledging that it’s not really a subject that’s taught in K-12 schools," Bromley-Trujillo said.
Youngkin previously established a tip line for others to report 'divisive practices' in education, and state leaders are reviewing how educators teach about race and history in Virginia schools, despite Critical Race Theory not being a part of Virginia's established curriculum.
The poll also notes a disconnect between a majority of voters and Youngkin on environmental issues.
Youngkin has called to pull out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a partnership among eastern and northeastern states to develop a carbon cap-and-trade and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Voters do not support coming out of that, 67% support staying in RGGI," Bromley-Trujillo said.
He has also expressed a desire to roll back the recently-passed Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires electric utilities in the state to produce 100 percent of their energy with renewables by 2050.
In the new Wason Center poll, between 57 and 61% of voters responded and said they support vaccine mandates for adults in critical jobs – like first responders, teachers and medical providers.
Most opposed vaccine mandates for children in elementary and middle schools.
Despite Virginia's new law which makes masking optional for children in schools, 56% of voters said health data should be used to determine mask requirements, while 41% of poll respondents said the decision should be left to parents, Youngkin's rallying cry.
The poll found 70% of voters support stationing a police officer in every school, a proposal that Youngkin supports.
Bromley-Trujillo said she hopes the poll results of non-partisan evidence will help shape the dialogue on these issues in Virginia moving forward.
"Now they can see what their constituents support and use that to inform their decisions, that’s really what our whole operation is about," she said.
Youngkin's spokesperson, Macaulay Porter, responded to the Wason Center poll today with a statement:
"These polls were wrong during the campaign and are wrong now. Virginians endorsed Governor Youngkin's grocery tax plan so overwhelmingly that outgoing Governor Northam included it in his budget proposal. Governor Youngkin's initiatives have received bipartisan support and he looks forward to delivering on more promises that he made during the campaign."
Porter referred to 2021 Wason Center polling on the gubernatorial race, which showed Democrat Terry McAuliffe with a lead. The polls tightened as the November election neared, and Youngkin won with 50.6% of the vote, compared to McAuliffe's 48.6%.
More details from the latest poll can be found here.