Survey Says!

The Post commissioned a study into local resident's feelings on the stadium. (Graphic here)

More than two-thirds of District residents oppose using public funds to build a baseball stadium in the city, and an even larger majority fears that average taxpayers would end up paying for the project under Mayor Anthony A. Williams's financing plan, according to a Washington Post survey of area residents.

Throughout the city, opposition to a publicly financed baseball stadium is both broad and deep. Sixty-nine percent of District residents said city funds should not be spent on a new baseball stadium, and half of those interviewed said they are strongly opposed to public financing.

The only question I have about this, is how well do people understand the arguments for and against the stadium? Is the public really that educated about it? I hate these kinds of studies, where the public can't be expected to know the issues all that well.

If someone asks me if I'd rather spend tax money on schools or on baseball stadiums, most everyone would say schools. But, if as in the apparent case here in DC, if the majority of tax revenue is coming from different sources that many not necessarily be available without the team, would that change their answers? These are questions reasonable people on the council are having a hard time answering. How can we expect people without any sort of expertise on these issues to make informed decisions?


In a separate story, the survey also reveals that Senators is the preferred nickname.