Detroit Regional Chamber
10/03/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/03/2024 13:33
Poll: Michigan Voters Reluctant to Embrace Economy of the Future
Poll: Michigan Voters Reluctant to Embrace Economy of the Future
October 3, 2024
DBusiness Magazine
Oct. 3, 2024
R.J. King
The Detroit Regional Chamber today released findings from a new statewide poll of 600 registered Michigan voters in partnership with Lansing-based Glengariff Group Inc. The poll was conducted between Sept. 12-15, 2024.
According to the poll, Michigan's readiness for the economy of the future hinges on residents' willingness to embrace the technological advances underway and do what it takes "like pursuing higher education" to bring this future to fruition.
Despite interest in the economy of the future, many voters' reluctance to participate in it poses harmful risks to the state's economy.
As an example, the poll shows the electric vehicle transition faces significant challenges in Michigan as politicization and reluctance to adapt to global trends stifles progress and indicates a troubling sense of "surrender" of Michigan's signature industry to domestic and international competitors.
At the same time, as Michigan moves to build more EVs, job losses will mount given such vehicles have roughly 10 percent of the parts of a traditional gas-powered vehicle.
In turn, EVs sales have been hampered by the lack of a national charging network, high prices, range anxiety, high replacement costs for batteries, the use of child labor in mining raw materials for batteries, and more.
The poll also reveals negativity about the economy and inflation show early signs of softening, though voters' perceptions continue to differ from the reality of a fundamentally solid economy.
Perception divides are evident between rural and urban/suburban populations, particularly around Michigan's readiness for the economy of the future, the importance of investing in higher education and technologies of the future, and the state of the economy and the job market.
"Michigan is at a critical pivot point between peril and promise," says Sandy K. Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. "The U.S. economy - both in the short and long term - continues to be the envy of the world. But for Michigan to reap economic benefits, it must innovate, adapt, and prepare. This poll marks a watershed understanding of the challenges both policymakers and business leaders face: too many are not interested in adapting to economic realities.
"While many voters understand the importance of Michigan competing in the innovation economy, securing the individual skills demanded of the 21st century, and growing both our economy and population, a significant percentage of voters are unwilling to embrace these new realities. That's enough to make policy change difficult.
"While the U.S. will continue to grow, Michigan's participation in that growth and success is not a given. We will have to work for it."
Adoption of new technologies and higher levels of degree attainment are key ingredients to thriving economies. In fact, the state recently reported that 42 out of the 50 - or 84% - of the "hot jobs" in the state over the next decade will require a bachelor's degree. Data like this reinforces why the Chamber established the goal to achieve 60% post-high school educational attainment by 2030 - a goal since adopted by the State of Michigan.
"We now see a major disconnect with many voters having serious concerns about Michigan's preparedness for coming changes in the economy. And yet, those same voters show a limited willingness to prepare and engage with that future economy," says Richard Czuba, president of Glengariff Group.
"It's not just that voters aren't willing to get the skills to fill future automotive jobs - it appears many Michigan voters, because of their politics, don't even want those future automotive jobs in Michigan. At some point, all Michiganders will face the economic reality that if these new automotive jobs are not welcome in Michigan now, the future automotive industry will quickly be welcomed somewhere else."
Despite businesses' advocacy to improve accessibility to new technologies and educational attainment, such as the Chamber's support of a "K - 12 + 2" educational approach, which would allow graduating high school students to receive a tuition-free associate degree or skilled certificate at a community college, Michigan voters express apprehension about developments underway. This mindset stands to jeopardize the state's ability to compete in the emerging innovation economy.
At the same time, Michigan does itself no favors with the continued poor performance of public K-12 schools, which comes at a time when the state education system has been largely controlled by labor unions.
Consider, according to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the best states for education, Michigan is #42. Last year, the state was #41. The ranking measures state performance across the life cycle of a young person's education, encompassing preschool enrollment, standardized testscores among eighth-graders, high school graduation rate, and college readiness.
For the U.S. News & World Report 2024 ranking for Michigan, which measures multiple sectors such as the economy, fiscal stability, infrastructure, health care, and more, visit here.
For more information about the chamber poll, visit here.