Poll: Colorado voters are pessimistic heading into 2024 election
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Colorado voters are not optimistic about what's ahead in 2024.
Driving the news: Just half of likely voters believe the state is headed in the right direction, and negative views of the economy and institutions pervade a bipartisan Colorado Polling Institute survey released Tuesday.
By the numbers: 63% believe buying a home in Colorado will become more difficult, and the plurality of voters say the ability to get a quality public education, raise a family and start a business will get worse in the months ahead.
- Significant portions of voters distrust the federal government (61%), large corporations (56%) and Colorado journalists (39%). Only election administrators and small businesses earn positive marks.
Why it matters: The sour mood is sure to influence how voters approach the 2024 election, where Democrats are looking to retain control at the State Capitol and White House.
The big picture: The outlook defies improving economic conditions at the state and national level, and pollsters report never seeing such a wide perception gap.
- "Things are getting better and people think things are going to get worse — and that's the most dangerous piece of this," Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told AP.
Between the lines: In Colorado, opinions about the direction of the state are split by length of residency.
- Residents who have lived in the state more than 20 years skew the most pessimistic, while transplants in the last five to 20 years are more hopeful. Newcomers in the last five years are overwhelmingly positive, pollster said.
The intrigue: One question where all agree is that buying a good home will only get worse in the future.
Of note: The poll, conducted Nov. 16-27 by a Democratic and Republican pollster, has a plus-or-minus 3.8 point margin of error.