Findings of the Study

• Virginia voters who say protecting air and water quality and preserving open space should be a legislative priority outnumber those who say cutting taxes should be a legislative priority.

Eighty-nine (89%) percent of Virginia voters believe preserving and protecting open space should be an important issue for the State Legislature and Governor to address. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the voters believe protecting air and water quality should be a very important legislative priority. These results indicate a higher percentage of voters feel these conservation issues should be a legislative priority than feel tax reduction should be a legislative priority (81%).

In a similar statewide survey in 1992, when the voters were given a list of problems, the level of concern about crime and public education was five times higher than the concern for the conservation of natural resources. In the current survey, the concern for conserving natural resources is nearly equal to the concern about crime and public education.

• Virginia voters strongly favor creating a permanent funding source for land conservation and dedicating a portion of the state's existing land recording tax to fund this program.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Virginia voters favor creating a permanent funding source to pay for protecting forests, farms, clean water and open space. Eighty percent (80%) support the Virginia Legislature dedicating one-fourth of the state's existing land recording tax for land conservation. Further, eighty-two percent (82%) support dedicating a portion of the state's existing land recording tax when they were informed that this money would create a fund of approximately forty million dollars per year to protect forests, farms, clean water and open space.

• Virginia voters believe preserving and protecting open space are as important funding priorities as improving public schools and roads.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Virginia's voters disagreed with the following statement: When we have so many problems in Virginia, such as funding public education and improving our roads, the state should not be spending money on protecting and preserving open space.

• Virginia's voters believe protecting water resources is a critical issue.

Ninety percent (90%) of Virginia's voters are more likely to support dedicating part of the state's land recording tax if some of the money will be used to protect the quality of rivers and streams which keeps the Chesapeake Bay healthy. Ninety-two percent (92%) support dedicating this funding source if some of the money will be used to protect areas which are important to maintaining the state's supply of clean drinking water.

• Eighty percent of Virginia's voters believe at least one percent of the state budget should be spent for land conservation. And, Virginians are willing to pay for land conservation.

A strong plurality (45%) of the voters believe that more than six percent of the state's budget should be dedicated to land and water conservation. In addition, 52% of the state's voters are willing to pay more money for conservation. Forty-two percent (42%) are willing to pay more than $10 per year for a conservation program, with nearly one-third of the voters willing to pay more than $40 per year.

The results of this study are clear indicators of how strongly Virginia voters feel about protecting the state's natural resources. Protecting land and water resources have become as much of a priority as education and road improvements, and more of a priority than cutting taxes. They strongly support creating a permanent funding source for conservation and funding this source through dedicating one-fourth of the state's land recording tax.

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