strategy and research | April 23, 2009
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Tulane University and Democracy Corps have joined together to conduct a unique survey examining the New Orleans political landscape as the city approaches a critical mayoral election in February 2010. The survey of 1,008 likely voters was conducted April 5-14, and reveals that 55 percent of New Orleans voters believe this election is the ‘most important city election in their lifetime’ as the city still struggles to rebound more than four years after Hurricane Katrina.
With voters highly focused on the city’s challenges, there is a remarkable shared sense of what are the city’s priorities and what should be the path forward for the next New Orleans mayor. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner conducted this comprehensive survey for Tulane and Democracy Corps, employing a hybrid methodology that combines traditional voter file, random digit dialing, and cell phone research to maximize access to the post-Katrina electorate.
So much of the political discussion around New Orleans politics focuses on the deep divisions, particularly along racial lines, that have defined the city’s political culture for decades. But this survey clearly demonstrates that there is much more that unites New Orleans voters than divides them, and they are desperate to move forward together, putting the conflicts of the past behind them and focusing on the common challenges that threaten all of them. Crime, local schools, local corruption, long-term economic growth – these are the issues that New Orleanians are focused on.
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