Archive for the ‘blog’ Category

State Tax Structure: One Thing Oregonians Would Happily Welcome From California

Posted on: March 16th, 2017 by dhm-research

As legislators in Salem consider reforming Oregon’s tax system to account for a significant budget shortfall, we asked DHM panelists about the values they associate with taxation. As with most things tax-related, it turns out there are some gripes, grumbles, and sour grapes. In a blind test pitting Oregon’s system against California’s and Washington’s, less than one in ten prefer our current system. Charting a path to tax reform is a high-wire balancing act, one easily derailed by partisan bickering. Perhaps there’s some bittersweet solace to be found in a source of unanimous agreement across all Oregonians, that the middle class and small businesses are getting the short end of the stick.

Read on for more!

As always, you can find us on Twitter and continue the conversation @DHMresearch!

Seeing is Believing: Oregonians Desire Transparency and Accountability

Posted on: February 7th, 2017 by dhm-research

 

The past year has brought a long-simmering trend in politics onto center stage: increasing polarization and partisanship. For the past few years, DHM Research has monitored an ever-widening divide in perceptions and priorities between Oregon’s Democrats and Republicans. At the same time, the proportion of Oregonians who are not members of either major party continues to grow.

In this political landscape, is there any room for compromise and consensus? Read on below for findings from our first DHM Panel of the year to find out!

Your wishlist for 2017: Oregon’s take on America’s real problems

Posted on: January 11th, 2017 by dhm-research

As a very long year wound to a close, we gave our panel of Oregonians a break from decking the halls and mourning their favorite pop culture figures by sending out a DHM Panel survey. This month’s focus was Oregonians’ biggest pet peeves and policy wishes: the fascinating, arcane, subtle-yet-important, and just-plain-bizarre societal changes you dearly wish to see enacted—or at the very least asked about in a DHM Panel survey.

Oregonians See Value in Banks Working With Legal Marijuana Businesses

Posted on: December 8th, 2016 by dhm-research

The legal cannabis industry is projected to top $7 billion in national sales this year—that was before voters in eight additional states tallied their support for legalized recreational or medical marijuana on November 8, 2016. Including Oregon, eight states have legalized recreational marijuana, while 29 have done so for medical use. Despite growing support for legalization and the industry’s robust economic growth in states permitting recreational use, only a small percentage of banks and credit unions currently accept deposits or provide banking services to marijuana-related businesses.

To better understand how the public views this dynamic, DHM Research and banking industry experts LT Public Relations partnered on groundbreaking research using Oregon—our own backyard—as a case study. The state legalized recreational marijuana on July 1, 2015, and as our study showed, Oregonians aren’t shy about their use: 26% said they had used a marijuana product in the last 30 days. Additionally, Governor Kate Brown has signed a bill that removed any state criminal liability from banks and credit unions that choose to do business with legal marijuana businesses.

From November 10 to 17, 2016, we surveyed nearly 800 Oregon residents regarding their opinions of the marijuana industry, financial institutions, and how collaboration between the two would shift their perceptions. Asked if their impression of their financial institution would change if it held deposits and made loans to various industries, Oregonians indicated that they see a partnership between financial institutions and legal marijuana-related businesses as desirable. Nearly nine in ten (87%) said that offering financial services to the legal marijuana industry would either not alter or improve their impressions of their financial institution.

For further analysis, please download our white paper or press release about the findings of the survey. You can also download the above infographic here. Please direct all media requests to eszamborski@dhmresearch.com.

As always, you can find us and continue the conversation @DHMresearch!

 

About DHM Research

DHM Research is a non-partisan and independent public opinion and policy research firm with offices in Portland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The firm has been providing opinion research and consultation throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the United States for over three decades. DHM Research is a certified woman-owned minority business.

About LT Public Relations

LT Public Relations is a comprehensive communications firm based in Portland, Oregon. The firm partners with clients across the United States to deliver individualized communications strategies and relevant, results-oriented public relations initiatives. More information is available at www.ltpublicrelations.com.

Oregonians Agree: This Election Was Awful

Posted on: November 8th, 2016 by dhm-research

In the October 2016 DHM Panel, we asked Oregonians how they felt about the impending election. Everyone agreed on at least one thing: this election season was terrible. But as for why and what comes next? Oregonians are still divided.

 

 

Oregon Votes: DHM & Fox 12 Election Poll

Posted on: November 1st, 2016 by dhm-research

With one week to go before the 2016 election, DHM partnered with FOX 12 (KPTV) for a final read of Oregonians’ views on several major races.

From October 25 to 29, 2016, DHM conducted a telephone survey of 504 voters. The survey polled voters’ choices for president, governor, and secretary of state, as well as support for Measure 97.

See below for our results and methodology. As always, we’re happy to answer questions on Twitter @DHMResearch.

DHM & FOX 12 2016 Election Poll Annotated Questionnaire & Methodology

DHM & FOX 12 2016 Election Poll Cross Tabs

 

 

In Sickness and in Health Reform

Posted on: October 4th, 2016 by dhm-research

In the September 2016 DHM Panel, we asked Oregonians about their perceptions of healthcare, including the Affordable Care Act. The results indicate that Oregonians have mixed feelings about the Affordable Care Act, but desire additional changes to our healthcare system.

 

Back to School: Oregon’s Priorities for Public Education

Posted on: September 6th, 2016 by dhm-research

As Oregon heads back to school, we asked our DHM Panel about their perceptions and priorities for public education. The survey was conducted from August 11-17, 2016, and included 598 Oregonians. Results were weighted by age, gender, area of the state, political party, and level of education to ensure a representative sample. The margin of error for this survey ranges from +/-3.7% to +/-4.1%.

Some clear takeaways emerged when it comes to Oregonians’ priorities about public education. Their back-to-school wish list might read something like this: focus on K-12, educate beyond workplace preparedness, and reduce class sizes. See below for full analysis.

We also asked questions about community college. Our results suggest that Oregonians view community colleges favorably, see them as providing a unique and important role in preparing young people for the workplace, and desire more funding for these institutions. Read on for more!

Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter for more results from our “Back to School” edition of our DHM Panel. We’re also happy to answer any questions you may have — find us @DHMResearch!

Downloads:

 

Our Past, Present and Future: Time for Oregon to Come Together?

Posted on: August 22nd, 2016 by dhm-research

For the July edition of the DHM Panel, we sought to get a better understanding of how Oregonians view our past, present, and future. Our online panel regularly provides Northwest residents with the opportunity to weigh in on issues that affect their state, community, and daily lives.

Our findings indicate that Oregonians remain divided — some things are timeless — by political affiliation, geography, education and age. Read on below for the full take!

We’re always happy to answer questions on Twitter — find us @DHMResearch!

To download the above document click here: July 2016 Panel

Full results for the survey can be found here: DHM Panel Survey — Blogpost — Annot — July 2016

The State of Housing in Oregon

Posted on: June 28th, 2016 by dhm-research

Background

In October 2015 the City of Portland declared a state of emergency on housing. Portland is not alone, as Los Angeles, Seattle, and the state of Hawaii have also declared states of emergencies in response to shifts in the housing market and rising homelessness in their communities. While Oregon has yet to take such an action statewide, housing and homelessness are raising to become top priorities for voters. Community groups and elected leaders are debating solutions for the difficulties facing our communities, and housing and homelessness are likely to be a focus of the elections this fall. The following data offer a glimpse into where Oregonians stand today on the issues of housing and homelessness in the state, and what they think should be done.

 

Methodology

DHM Research conducted an online survey of 687 Oregon residents participating in our DHM Panel. The survey was conducted in May 2016. It asked Oregonians about their opinions on the current state of housing and homelessness across the state, and presented participants with a series of potential policies that could be enacted. Demographic information, including current housing situation, was collected to assess if perceptions of housing and homelessness differed by sub-group categories.

 

Key Findings

While Oregonians are in overwhelming agreement that the state is currently in a housing crisis, there is less clarity as to preferred solutions, or if solutions are needed. Most view the crisis as a result of increased demand for housing, as opposed to laying blame on government. When it comes to what should be done, Oregonians are split as to who should be tasked with leading the charge on affordable housing or what kinds of solutions they prefer.

  • Some 83% agree that Oregon is in the midst of a housing crisis, with 44% strongly agreeing. Strong majorities holding this stance were observed across all demographics, with the lowest agreement rating at 74% for Republicans, as compared to 89% of Democrats.
  • When asked what they thought the primary cause of rising housing costs was, 37% of Oregonians said that “the market is responding to an increase in population and desirability” and an additional 26% blamed people with higher incomes moving to Oregon. This suggests that most ascribe the increase to demand-side economics. Almost half (46%) of those outside of the Willamette Valley and Tri-County areas placed blame on those moving to Oregon.
  • No consensus emerged as to who Oregonians think should be most responsible for addressing affordable housing needs generally, or which government entity should be responsible for building and administering subsidized housing across the state. Strong pluralities of non-affiliated voters/independents (46%) and Republicans (44%) believe that the market will correct itself, as compared to just 7% of Democrats.
  • Investing in community land trusts, changing zoning to allow greater density and mixing of commercial and residential spaces, and relaxing restrictions and fees on ADUs were the preferred policies to improve the supply and affordability of housing.
  • In terms of curbing rapidly rising rents, Oregonians responded most positively to rent control (“Improve a lot” or “somewhat”: 72%), inclusionary zoning (67%) and creating a local funding source for rental assistance (63%).

While there is overall consensus that the state is in a housing crisis, perceptions differed based on the degree to which participants were personally affected by the crisis. Renters, those spending more than 30% of their monthly income on housing expenses, and Oregonians making less than $25K annually stood out through the survey.

  • Some 22% of Oregonians say that if an emergency were to arise that would cost them $1,000, they would be unable to pay for both the costs incurred by the emergency and their housing costs. Oregonians making less than $25K annually were notably vulnerable, with 63% saying they would not be able to pay for the emergency and their rent or mortgage. Almost half (49%) of cost-burdened Oregonians said they would not be able to pay, as compared to just 9% of those who met HUD’s definition of an affordable housing situation. Four in ten (40%) renters were also at risk, in comparison to just 18% of homeowners.
  • Renters (72%) and those with incomes under $25K (69%) were the most likely of all subgroups tested to disagree with the claim that rising housing prices were a sign of economic growth, and good for the state.
  • Renters in Oregon were more likely to believe that the number of those experiencing homelessness is directly related to the cost of housing and should be mitigated with housing policies (49%) than to view housing and homelessness as separate issues (47%).

As a whole, Oregonians view housing and homelessness as separate issues. While they recognize that rising housing costs have impacted homelessness and that homelessness has increased over the past few months, they still believe that solutions focusing on short-term shelters, mental health, and addiction services would be most effective.

  • An overwhelming majority (68%) believe that the number of people experiencing homelessness in the state has increased in the last six months.
  • Some 68% agreed that homelessness should be viewed and treated as its own separate issue, as compared to 28% who believe that homelessness and housing costs are intertwined, and that housing based solutions would be most effective.
  • Consistent with this, participants identified unemployment (36%), poverty (32%) and personal choice (32%) as one of the three main causes of homelessness more often than they did so for a lack of affordable housing (22%).
  • Participants were asked which of four housing initiatives in response to homelessness would be the most effective policy: 42% said that focusing on emergency shelters and transitional facilities would be the most effective. Policies focusing on providing assistance for those at risk of losing their homes (18%), increasing the stock of affordable housing (17%), or offering rental assistance to those currently experiencing homelessness (13%) were favored by fewer Oregonians.

Please find the complete survey DHM Panel Survey — Housing — annot — May 2016.