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(January 2005) Pennsylvanians statewide agree on some issues. For example, most believe the taxes they pay - especially property taxes - are too high. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of state residents now complain taxes individuals pay in Pennsylvania are too high, up from 59% in the September 2003 IssuesPA/Pew poll. However, there’s considerable disagreement statewide when Pennsylvanians express their opinions on many other issues.

When it comes to quality of life and economic concerns, three different "Pennsylvanias" emerge:

• Philadelphia city - about 13% of the state’s population;
• South Central Pennsylvania plus the "outside Philadelphia" portion of Southeastern Pennsylvania - together about 33% of Pennsylvania’s population; and
• Southwest and Northeast Pennsylvania and the "Rest of State" - in total about 54% of the state’s population.

What trends are emerging?

In two of the three Pennsylvanias, many responding to the poll reported having a hard time just getting by economically. In the third Pennsylvania, where the economic environment is much more favorable, managing growth creates problems of its own.

• In Philadelphia, residents reported facing threats to their quality of life. Most of those surveyed cited crime (65%), a lack of jobs/economic opportunities (61%), traffic congestion (56%), and keeping taxes down (51%) as big problems.
• In the Southwest, Northeast, and rest of the state, aging cities and towns and rural areas mark the landscape and economic concerns dominated. The largest number among those surveyed (62%) said jobs and economic opportunities were big problems, followed by the level of taxes (52%).
• In the South Central region and Southeast Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia, areas dominated by suburbs and small towns, the three top concerns were traffic congestion (53%), the level of taxes (47%), and difficulties preserving open space and farmland (44%). Here, growth is a big issue.

Satisfaction with the way matters are going corresponded to how Pennsylvanians feel about the economic vitality of their communities. Pennsylvanians in Southwest Pennsylvania and in Philadelphia were most unhappy with the status quo. Only 41% of Southwest Pennsylvanians surveyed were satisfied, while 48% were dissatisfied. Philadelphians surveyed were about as unhappy as those in Southwest Pennsylvania (44% satisfied/47% dissatisfied). Meanwhile, those in Southeast Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia were quite positive (58% satisfied/33% dissatisfied), similar to those in South Central Pennsylvania (56%/36%).

What about confidence in elected officials?

According to the poll, the overall level of public confidence in Governor Ed Rendell’s ability to deal with key issues was down somewhat (59%) from a year ago (63%). The Governor continued to be most popular in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where he served as Mayor (75% positive) and least popular in the GOP-leaning South Central region (47% positive) and in Southwestern Pennsylvania (48% positive), where people are most unhappy with the status quo.

The legislature as a whole continues to receive slightly higher confidence ratings than the Governor and about the same as 1 year ago (at 61%, from 63% last year). Pennsylvanians remain most confident in their own state senator and representative to deal with key issues. Almost 7 in 10 (69%) give their own members of the legislature positive confidence ratings, the same as last year.

Pennsylvanians surveyed gave the most positive ratings to their local city, borough or township government. County government’s ratings were not quite as positive, while state government ratings were lower still.

How about the financial health of their communities?

Despite higher confidence levels in their local officials, when asked to rate the financial health of their community, many of those surveyed saw trouble brewing. Combined, more than a third (36%) of state residents said their municipality or county is facing serious financial problems. One-quarter (25%) said their municipality has serious financial problems, and the same number (25%) said their county is in a similar situation.

The geographic patterns in reports of financial distress fit with ratings of the local economy and quality of life.

What does all this mean?

Big-city problems and concerns of residents in Philadelphia are markedly different than growing pains facing residents in South Central Pennsylvania and Southeastern Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia, which in turn are markedly different than the serious economic and quality of life concerns facing residents in Southwestern and Northeastern Pennsylvania and the rest of the state.

For policymakers, this means developing policies that meet the needs and opportunities of widely diverse regions, communities and constituencies in a state with a large rural area, scores of small cities, sprawling suburbs, and one of the largest cities in the nation. A real challenge? Absolutely.

 And as the Superbowl Approaches, One Last Observation

While Pennsylvanians agree that jobs, taxes and higher education are important to the state’s future economic vitality, another issue leaves the state divided - and that’s FOOTBALL.

Asked which Pennsylvania professional football team they root for, 37% of Pennsylvanians responding to the latest IssuesPA/Pew Poll said the Philadelphia Eagles, 35% said the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 22% said they’re not pro football fans.

Few said they back another team (4%) or have no preference between the Eagles and Steelers (2%). It’s no surprise that each team is overwhelmingly the fan favorite in its home region, but the Steelers seem to be more a part of the social fabric in Southwestern Pennsylvania than the Eagles are on the opposite side of the state.

In total, 83% of Southwestern Pennsylvania residents are Steelers fans, while 68% of Southeastern Pennsylvania residents are Eagles fans.

Looking at other regions of the state, loyalties in the South Central region are split right down the middle - 31 percent root for the Eagles, while 31 percent are Steelers fans. In Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Eagles have more fans (36%), compared to the Steelers (26%). The Steelers edge out the Eagles in the "rest of state" region by a close margin (39% vs. 32%).

Will what some consider to be the biggest, most pressing issue confronting Pennsylvanians in early 2005 be decided on the field come February?