The annual Boise State University Idaho Public Policy Survey shows that, for the first time in six years, nearly half of Idahoans think the state is headed in the right direction.
Additionally, optimism about Idaho’s economic future increased, reaching nearly 44% this year.
Idahoans painted a different picture when asked identical questions last year; over 43% of respondents said they believed the state was headed in the wrong direction, and 36% said they believed Idaho’s economic situation will get worse.
Beyond the optimism, however, the survey results released Friday indicate that Idahoans do not generally support some of the policies being considered or approved by the Idaho Legislature, which has refused to enact additional exceptions to Idaho’s nearly complete abortion bans and is looking to allow tax funds to support private and religious education.
Approximately 53% of Idahoans are against tax monies being used to fund private or religious education, with 37% of respondents strongly disagreeing. However, the majority of Republicans (52%) support that, while only 36% of Independents and 12% of Democrats do the same.
One of the most heated policy discussions in the Legislature this year is probably going to be that one.
38% of Idahoans believe abortion should be permitted through fetal viability, while the majority, 55%, support abortions through at least the first trimester of pregnancy.
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The Idaho Legislature should focus on the following issues, according to Idahoans:
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Education remains Idahoans top priority for the Idaho Legislature to address for the 10th consecutive year, with support rising by six points to 79% this year from last year.
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Jobs and the economy came in a close second, with 71%, followed by health care (69%) as the third; housing (64%) as the fourth, and taxes (60%) as the fifth. The environment (54%) came in sixth, and transportation (42%) came in seventh.
The Idaho Legislature should prioritize the following issues in the state budget, according to Idahoans:
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1st place: Workforce and affordable housing (32%);
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2nd place: Support for K-12 education funding (28%);
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3rd place: support for tax relief for Idahoans (23%).
However, the specifics or the manner in which surveyors posed the question determined support for numerous policy proposals.
How the survey was conducted
Data from a statewide, randomized survey of 1,000 persons in Idaho, which was carried out between November 9–14, 2024, shortly after the general election, is included in the study.
42 counties in Idaho are represented in the survey’s random sample of respondents. The two very small rural counties of Custer and Clark are the only ones left out.
There is a 3.1% margin of error in the survey. That number illustrates the potential discrepancy between reported poll results and Idahoans’ actual opinions.
GS Strategy, a Boise-based public opinion business, was hired by Boise State to conduct surveys.
Boise State’s website offers the results of the 2025 Idaho Public Policy Survey.
How the survey was conducted
Data from a statewide, randomized survey of 1,000 persons in Idaho, which was carried out between November 9–14, 2024, shortly after the general election, is included in the study.
42 counties in Idaho are represented in the survey’s random sample of respondents. The two very small rural counties of Custer and Clark are the only ones left out.
There is a 3.1% margin of error in the survey. That number illustrates the potential discrepancy between reported poll results and Idahoans’ actual opinions.
GS Strategy, a Boise-based public opinion business, was hired by Boise State to conduct surveys.
Boise State’s website offers the results of the 2025 Idaho Public Policy Survey.
A maternal health exception, which is not included in Idaho law, is supported by the majority of Idahoans.
But what about other difficulties, such as out-of-state campaign issues and ballot initiatives?
A variety of additional survey results on important policy areas are included in the 32-page study, including:
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Immigration enforcement:
Almost a third, 31%, of Idahoans immigration law enforcement should be the state s responsibility, compared to 27% who say it should be up to the federal government.
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Ballot initiatives:
When Idaho voters approve a law independent of the Idaho Legislature, through a ballot initiative, less than half 45% of Idahoans say the Legislature shouldn t be able to do anything with it and the law should take effect. A third, 33%, said the Legislature should be able to amend or revise a voter-passed law. But 17% said they weren t sure, which the survey says indicates people may not be familiar with the issue.
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Trust in news media:
Almost 47% of respondents say the news media is untrustworthy; while over 27% say they trust local news more; and nearly 13% say they trust national news more. About 13% of respondents said they weren t sure which news media sources they trust more. The survey did not ask where people get their information, a survey researcher said. But he said researchers hope to look at that in future surveys.
When asked about Idaho’s abortion access exceptions, more than 64 percent of Idahoans believe that the state should at least provide exceptions for documented cases of rape, incest, non-viable pregnancies, and the mother’s life and health.
There is no maternal health exception under Idaho law, and state lawmakers seem likely to keep the state’s abortion restrictions in place while they await the outcome of legal proceedings.
Surveyors asked respondents about their opinions of a range of policies that would be more or less restrictive of abortion, rather than focusing on how Idahoans felt about the state’s abortion restriction laws.
Democrats and Republicans disagree about Idaho’s future.
Approximately 49% of Idahoans believe that the state is moving in the right direction, up from nearly 41% in the previous year’s survey. In a similar vein, 37% of Idahoans now believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, compared to 43% the previous year.
However, political party allegiance has a significant impact on Idahoans’ perceptions of the state’s course.
Approximately three quartersAccording to this year’s poll, 71% of Republicans believe Idaho is moving in the right direction, while more than two thirds Idaho is on the wrong path, according to 68% of Democrats. 41% of independents believed Idaho was headed in the right direction, while 43% believed it was headed in the wrong direction.
It affects how surveyors pose the inquiry. People’s identities and traits also change.
Political party affiliation, length of residence in the state, race, gender, age, income, and other characteristics, as well as the question’s phrasing, all influenced respondents’ opinions on certain topics.
Survey respondents claimed they avoided using the term “school choice” when asked if they supported funding private or religious schools with public cash.
In a presentation at the Idaho State Capitol on Friday, Matthew May, Survey Research Director at Boise State’s School of Public Service, stated that this is in part because the term has a wide range of meanings.
“That could mean a tax credit proposal for one person,” he said. However, for others, it could mean having an education savings account (ESA), homeschooling, or sending their children to magnet schools, he noted.
“You never know which of those definitions the respondent is using when you use that terminology,” May stated. By concentrating on what appeared to be the main policy debate that will probably take place during this legislative session—allowing tax monies to be used for private and religious education—we attempted to clear up any confusion.
He added that the specifics are important.
There are other public opinion studies that, in addition to outlining a specific program, include disclaimers that it won’t negatively impact public school budgets or that it will only cost half of what we would normally spend, May added. Because it’s a mitigating factor affecting the core issue, I believe that when you include those specifics, you’re more likely to get popular support. However, it doesn’t necessarily alter their viewpoint on the fundamental idea of tax money being used for those things.
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