BHI State of the Household Survey Winter 98 Voters Prefer Renovated Fenway Park

Boston, January 21, 1998 - A new statewide survey shows that Massachusetts voters want the Red Sox to stay at Fenway Park, their current home. Voters were asked, "If the Red Sox were to receive public funds for a stadium, should the funds be used to renovate Fenway Park or build a new stadium?" By an almost three-to-one margin, they favor Fenway.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of those surveyed preferred using any public funds to renovate Fenway Park rather than build a new stadium. Twenty percent (20%) preferred a new stadium. Twenty-one percent (21%) offered no opinion.

Commenting yesterday on the plans to renovate Fenway, Mayor Menino described the Red Sox as "an asset to the city." According to the Mayor, "The city stands ready and willing and able to help out when they present their plans."

David Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute, said, "This poll indicates strong voter support for Fenway, especially if the city or state does help out." He added, "There are currently no explicit plans to apply public funds either to renovating Fenway or to building a new stadium. However, experience teaches us to expect calls for public funding of 'infrastructure' improvements. The poll shows voters want their money to be spent on fixing Fenway."

The poll showed that persons in all age groups, educational levels and income levels overwhelmingly like Fenway Park (see attached demographic breakdown).

The survey of 400 Massachusetts registered voters was conducted January 11-13, 1998 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston applies state- of-the-art economic methods to the analysis of current public policy issues.

	RENOVATE	NEW STADIUM	DON'T KNOW	TOTAL
ALL RESP	58%	20%	21%	400
ANCESTRY
African-American	76	6	18	11
Asian-American	29	0	71	2
Hispanic	58	12	30	8
Euro-American	61	20	19	306
else	45	28	28	64
don't know	63	5	32	9
AGE
18-24	88	13	0	38
25-34	46	37	16	63
35-44	65	21	14	87
45-54	62	22	16	75
55-64	46	19	35	51
65 & over	48	12	40	78
refused	75	0	25	8
YEARS SCHOOL
Less than High School	54	24	22	17
High School	55	26	19	97
Associates Degree	63	17	21	27
Some College	62	16	22	96
College Grad	60	17	22	102
Post Grad	54	25	22	58
Refused	0	0	100	1
FAMILY INCOME
Less than $15k	67	8	25	36
$15-$30	57	29	14	47
$30-$50 K	62	17	20	113
$50-$75K	64	19	18	67
$75-$100K	47	32	20	41
over $100K	56	29	15	31
don't know	65	9	26	11

This survey was conducted for the Beacon Hill Institute under the supervision of Dr. John Blydenburgh and with the assistance of Commonwealth Consulting. The survey of 400 Massachusetts residents has a margin of error of ± 4%. Due to rounding, numbers may not add up to 100.

BHI State of the Household Survey Winter 98

Poll: Voters want the Red Sox to stay at Fenway

Question: If the Red Sox were to receive public funds for a stadium, should the funds be used to renovate Fenway Park, their present stadium, or build a new stadium?