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Poll: More than half of Mass. Republicans considered leaving state over past year
Respondents said that the major factor turning them off of Massachusetts was the state's high cost of living.
A new poll found that more than half of all Republicans in Massachusetts have thought about leaving the state.
The UMass Amherst/WCVB poll, the results of which were released this week, found that 53% of Republicans in Massachusetts have thought about moving elsewhere in the past year. It also found that 47% of independents had similar thoughts. Nearly four in 10 Massachusetts residents overall have contemplated the idea.
The poll was conducted from March 28 through April 5. A total of 700 residents were questioned, and the poll has a 4.7 percent margin of error.
“Massachusetts residents continue to contemplate moving from the state, with the top concern the high cost of living,” Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and a co-director of the poll, said in a statement. “Overall, 39% say they have considered moving in the past year, a small upward tick from six months ago when 35% said this. Moreover, it is younger people and the more educated who are more likely to think of leaving the state, groups that the state cannot afford to lose for its future.”
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Respondents said that the top reason they considered moving away was the state’s high cost of living. After that, the top explanations were, in order, the prospect of making a change in one’s life, concerns about high taxes and governance, a feeling of exclusion, and political complaints.
The poll found that 43% of men, 43% of younger residents, and 43% of people of color thought about leaving. Results also showed that 46% of those making less than $40,000 per year had similar thoughts.
“Conservatives and Republicans are minorities in Massachusetts, one of the nation’s most progressive states, and they are expressing their displeasure,” Jesse Rhodes, a political science professor and poll co-director, said in a statement. “Huge majorities of conservatives and Republicans believe the state is on the wrong track, and majorities of both groups say they’ve contemplated leaving the state. For these groups, beliefs that taxes are too high and that policies have become too liberal are major sources of dissatisfaction.”
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When reviewing the results, La Raja said that the key themes of frustration with housing affordability and transportation issues near Boston stood out.
Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, said in a statement that high taxes were one of the top three explanations for why Republicans considered leaving. Florida, New Hampshire, and South Carolina were some of the most popular destinations respondents mentioned being drawn to. All three have low or non-existent state income taxes.
Interestingly, respondents showed more faith in the Massachusetts economy than the national economy. For the first time since late 2021, a majority of respondents rated the state’s economy as “good” or “excellent.” Only 27% rated the U.S. economy favorably.
Almost one in five respondents rated their personal economic well-being as “poor,” which marks the highest percentage since these pollsters introduced the question in November 2021. In the results, 23% of respondents said that they have had difficulty paying rent or their mortgage, 26% said the same about medical care, and 28% had trouble paying for food in the past year.
The poll also asked people if they felt the state and the country were heading in the right direction. 22% said that they view the U.S. as heading in the right direction, and 65% said that they thought the opposite.
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When asked how they view the future of Massachusetts, 44% of respondents said the state was moving in the right direction, while 33% said the state was on the wrong track. These opinions appear split down party lines, as 65% of Democratic respondents said the state was moving in the right direction, while 73% of Republicans said the state was moving in the wrong direction.
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