Montana Republicans, compared to Democrats, said when it comes to the handling of 13 key issues, they are the most satisfied with how the state government manages wildlife, handles the environment, maintains transportation infrastructure, and ensures public safety, according to a recent Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll of more than 900 residents statewide.
In the survey that took place in late January and early February, respondents overall indicated they were most satisfied with the state’s handling of those four topics, giving a satisfaction ranking of above 50%.
The poll, which asked Montanans about their attitudes toward state government and public policy issues, was conducted by Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.
“General population surveys are used in public opinion polling when we want to investigate issues, attitudes, and behaviors that pertain to the entire population under study,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. “A general population survey takes a sample of adults from a known population, and results from this sample can be generalized back to the population as a whole.”
Half of Republicans polled reported being at least somewhat satisfied across nine of the 13 major political issues listed in the question about satisfaction with state government. In parallel, 50% of Democrats said they were discontent across 10 issues.
Republican lawmakers hold strong majorities in the Montana Legislature and took control of every statewide elected office in the 2024 election. Republicans have held the majority in both chambers of the Legislature since 2011 and took control of the governor’s office in 2020 after 16 years of Democratic control.
More than any other topic, Republicans varied from Democrats on abortion access, with a 57-point difference between the two parties over whether abortion should be legal in most cases. The overall statewide results also indicated that more than three in five Montanans believe abortion should be legal in most cases. In the 2024 election, Montanans approved a constitutional ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights by a 16-point margin.
Republicans were also more likely to express satisfaction with the state’s handling of health care, though a majority of respondents from both parties support some form of expanded Medicaid. More Democrats, roughly 94%, favor renewing the policy, as compared to about 60% of Republicans. With bipartisan support in the Legislature, Montana first expanded access to Medicaid in 2015 and reapproved the program in 2019. This session, a coalition of Republicans and Democrats have sent to the governor’s desk a bill to continue the program without an end date.
Four issues drew dissatisfaction rates at or above 50% from respondents of both parties: property taxes, cost of living, mental health and addiction, and state income taxes. Property taxes on the median Montana residential property rose an average of 21% in 2023 and could increase again. There is agreement among Republican and Democratic lawmakers this session about the need to address property taxes, and several proposals to do so are advancing.
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Montana Free Press publishes first of three public opinion polls
Montanans have lacked a reliable, Montana-based measure of public opinion on the issues shaping our state. National polls often fail to capture Montanans’ nuanced perspectives, and election-season horse race surveys tend to prioritize forecasting political outcomes over deeper questions about public concerns. To address this gap in understanding public attitudes, Montana Free Press, in partnership with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, launched a statewide public opinion poll. We’re calling it Montana Insights, and we anticipate it will be the first of three public interest surveys we conduct throughout the year.
Only two issue areas, wildlife management and public safety, garnered a satisfaction rate of more than 50% from respondents identifying as either Democrat or Republican. Two in three Montanans from both parties said they felt very safe in their neighborhood or town at night. Ninety-three percent of respondents said they felt at least somewhat safe in the same situation.
Respondents from both parties also agreed that their greatest dissatisfaction with the state government centered around the cost of living and property taxes.
Almost half of Montanans surveyed said they were very concerned about being able to afford housing over the next five years. Two-thirds of Montanans reported some difficulty affording rent or mortgage payments in addition to other day-to-day bills like education (including the cost of materials and student loans), health care, groceries and other food, and child care.
Two in three Montanans said they struggled with the availability of child care in addition to its cost.
Young adults said they struggled the most with affordability, with Montanans reporting decreased difficulty affording various expenses as they age. That trend ran parallel to Montanans making less than $50,000 a year, who reported more difficulty making ends meet than their higher-income counterparts.
A wide range of age groups and political affiliations reported that housing affordability was a priority, but Montanans remain divided about who is responsible for the problem.
Two-thirds of Republican respondents, and more than nine in 10 Democrats, believe both state and local governments bear some responsibility for ensuring that families have safe and decent housing they can afford.
For more information on the Montana Free Press Eagleton poll, visit the project’s microsite.
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