Raleigh, N.C. – With the Republicans having grasped control of both houses of the Minnesota legislature, and with a growing budget deficit, there is considerable resistance to funding a new stadium for the Vikings, who are being wooed by two ownership groups in Los Angeles in the event a Minneapolis-area stadium plan falls through. Minnesota voters agree with conservative legislators, so much so that they would rather see their Vikings leave the state than pay for a new stadium using taxpayer money. But they still want their football team to stay in Minnesota, and strongly favor the legislature expanding legal gaming and using the increased revenue to fund the stadium.
61% of Minnesota voters oppose tax dollars being used to fund new digs, and a near majority, 49%, prefers the team relocate to California than get a publicly funded stadium, an option only supported by 35%. In an unusual show of unanimity on a tax policy issue, liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike all strongly oppose their money funding the stadium during this recession, and they all would rather watch their team on TV.
Interestingly, men, who are probably more likely than women to be Vikings fans but also are more commonly conservatives than are women, are more supportive of the team dipping into tax coffers than women. Men only oppose this option 53-37, but women do, 68-20. Men would also rather see the team move to L.A. only by a 46-42 margin, but women by 51-29.
Voters are overwhelmingly favorable, however, to financing the stadium with voluntary revenue increases in the form of “racino” facilities that combine horse race tracks with casino features. 62% support raising stadium-construction funds from gaming, with only a quarter opposed. By an almost identical 63-25 margin, they also prefer this option in order to keep the team in-state than seeing the team move across the country. Liberals are by far the least favorable to gambling, but moderates and conservatives overwhelmingly support it. Men are so determined to keep the Vikings nearby that, as on the tax money questions, they are considerably more open to a gaming-funded stadium than are women.
PPP surveyed 949 Minnesota voters on December 4th and 5th. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.2%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here
Q1 Would you support or oppose a new publicly
funded stadium for the Minnesota Vikings?
Support ………………………………………………….. 28%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 61%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%
Q2 If the choice was between the Vikings moving
to California or Minnesota taxpayers building a
new stadium for them, which would you prefer?
Would rather the Vikings moved to California . 49%
Would rather taxpayers built a new stadium
for them………………………………………………….. 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%
Q3 Would you support or oppose a new stadium
for the Vikings paid for by expanding gaming
operations in Minnesota?
Support ………………………………………………….. 62%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 25%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q4 If the choice was between the Vikings moving
to California or a new stadium paid for by
expanding gaming operations in Minnesota,
which would you prefer?
Would rather the Vikings moved to California . 25%
Would rather a new stadium paid for by
expanded gaming operations was built ……….. 65%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%
Q5 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 20%
Moderate………………………………………………… 41%
Conservative…………………………………………… 39%
Q6 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 51%
Man……………………………………………………….. 49%
Q7 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 37%
Republican……………………………………………… 34%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 29%
Q8 If you are white, press 1. If other, press 2.
White …………………………………………………….. 95%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%
Q9 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 44%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 18%
