March 17, 2025
Bipartisan polling firm RABA Research conducted an online survey of 501 registered voters in West Virginia from March 10 – 14, 2025. The survey looked at respondents’ opinions on education, health care coverage and social safety net programs.
By a 3-1 margin, respondents said they do not support $50 million of West Virginia’s tax dollars being spent on private and home schools that do not have the same accountability standards of public schools.
- The results of this survey also found 84% of respondents do not believe it is “appropriate for West Virginia’s taxpayer dollars to be spent on private schools outside of West Virginia”.
- And 73% oppose “using public tax dollars for private school vouchers when there is consideration being given to closing two dozen public schools due to a lack of funding”.
When asked “The Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) is the public employees’ health insurance program. Do you support or oppose privatizing the PEIA, a move that would make it harder to retain public employees and lead to higher health care costs for public employees, including teachers, first responders, and law enforcement?” 72% of respondents answered that they were opposed.
Further, 67% of all respondents and 63% of Republican respondents said they would be “less likely” to vote for a candidate for the legislature who supported cuts to PEIA.
Respondents were also asked for their opinions on issues related to social safety net programs.
- 87% of all respondents and 84% of Republican respondents said they do not support “cutting Medicaid services like healthcare for children, seniors, veterans, and some of West Virginia’s citizens who are most in need”.
- 84% of respondents said they support increasing the pay for Child Protective Service workers.
- 63% said they oppose “efforts to cut the federal workforce knowing it impacts thousands of West Virginians”.
- 62% said they do not support “the state legislature reducing the amount of time and money out-of-work West Virginians receive from their unemployment benefits”.
- 51% of respondents said they would be “less likely to vote” for a legislative candidate “who supports decreasing the amount of time and money out-of-work West Virginians are able to collect from their unemployment benefits”.