By VDC staff 

A new statewide poll commissioned by the Fiscal Alliance Foundation finds a majority of Vermont voters say their incomes are not keeping pace with the cost of living, while nearly half believe the state is headed in the wrong direction.

The organization said 61% of voters surveyed reported that their income is not keeping pace with living costs. The concern crossed partisan lines, including 63% of independents, 62% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats.

The Fiscal Alliance Foundation, a New England organization that advocates for limited government, fiscal responsibility and government transparency, plans to publicly review the poll results on a zoom call 10:30 AM Thursday September 3.

According to results released by the organization, 48% of respondents said Vermont is headed in the wrong direction.

On taxes, 70% said they understand “tax relief” to mean actually paying less in taxes. The survey also found 43% believe Vermont spends too much on education.

The poll examined attitudes toward Proposal 3, the proposed constitutional amendment concerning collective bargaining rights that will appear before Vermont voters in November. According to the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, initial support for Proposal 3 stood at 43% but fell to 27% after respondents were presented with information about potential tax consequences.

The foundation also said independents increasingly resemble Republicans on several fiscal questions and that voters between ages 45 and 64 expressed the greatest dissatisfaction.

“Vermonters agree on the problem,” State Director Elizabeth Brown said in announcing the results. “The fight is over what is causing it—and what we do next.