A poll finds most say economy is declining The state's economy may have survived the catastrophe threatened by last year's terrorist attacks, but it's not out of the woods, according to local residents.
Only 13% say the isle economy
is getting better, while 35%
say it’s worseningBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comMost of Hawaii believes the state's economy will stay about the same or get worse in the future, according to a new statewide poll.
Of the 600 responses, 48 percent said they expect the state economy will remain about the same and 35 percent expect it to get worse. Thirteen percent said things will improve.
The findings of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin / KITV 4 News poll, taken between Aug. 21 and 28 by Market Trends Pacific Inc., are almost identical to results of a poll taken earlier this year.
In February, 44 percent said they expected the state economy to remain the same while 36 percent expected it to worsen. Thirteen percent expected economic improvement.
The margin of error for both polls is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The continuing ambivalence is not surprising, said Hawaii Pacific University economics professor Leroy Laney.
"Basically, people have to see some kind of tangible change in order to respond differently. So if they don't see a dramatic shift, in a sense people have made up their minds," he said.
David Lee, owner of downtown's GCI Wireless, also believes the state's economy will stay about the same. But with elections slated for year's end, Lee believes some cautious optimism may be called for.
"Because it's an election year, we tend to have more optimism. Hopefully with the right person in office, they should at least strive to make things better in the next year," he said.
As is often the case, those who participated in the poll were generally more positive about their own prospects than the state's. Thirty-five percent of those polled statewide expect their personal financial situation to improve, while 50 percent say it will remain about the same. Only 9 percent expected their finances to worsen.
"Generally people think they are doing better than the overall economy. Most people think they have a plan, but they don't think that everyone else does," Laney said.
Big Island residents were the most optimistic about their own economic prospects, with 39 percent expecting improvement and 48 percent saying they expect their personal financial situation to remain the same. Eight percent expect their situation to get worse.
Kauai residents were the least optimistic. Sixty percent said they expected their financial situation to remain the same, while 28 percent expect some improvement. Ten percent predict things would get worse.
For the state overall, 48 percent of Kauai residents polled expect the state's economy to worsen and 40 percent say it will remain the same. Only 10 percent predict some improvement.
On Oahu, 51 percent said the state economy will stay the same, 33 percent said it will get worse and 12 percent predicted improvement.
Looking back to May 2000, a similar poll of 426 Oahu registered voters conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., found residents in a much more optimistic mood. When asked if they thought the state's economy was improving, declining or stagnant, 43 percent said they expected improvement, 46 percent said it was stagnant, and 10 percent said things would worsen.
A poll finds only 13% say the isle economy is getting better, while 35% say it's declining
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
The state's economy may have survived the catastrophe threatened by last year's terrorist attacks, but it's not out of the woods, according to local residents.
Most of Hawaii believes the state's economy will stay about the same or get worse in the future, according to a new statewide poll.
Of the 600 responses, 48 percent said they expect the state economy will remain about the same and 35 percent expect it to get worse. Thirteen percent said things will improve.
The findings of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin / KITV 4 News poll, taken between Aug. 21 and 28 by Market Trends Pacific Inc., are almost identical to results of a poll taken earlier this year.
In February, 44 percent said they expected the state economy to remain the same while 36 percent expected it to worsen. Thirteen percent expected economic improvement.
The margin of error for both polls is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The continuing ambivalence is not surprising, said Hawaii Pacific University economics professor Leroy Laney.
"Basically, people have to see some kind of tangible change in order to respond differently. So if they don't see a dramatic shift, in a sense people have made up their minds," he said.
David Lee, owner of downtown's GCI Wireless, also believes the state's economy will stay about the same. But with elections slated for year's end, Lee believes some cautious optimism may be called for.
"Because it's an election year, we tend to have more optimism. Hopefully with the right person in office, they should at least strive to make things better in the next year," he said.
As is often the case, those who participated in the poll were generally more positive about their own prospects than the state's. Thirty-five percent of those polled statewide expect their personal financial situation to improve, while 50 percent say it will remain about the same. Only 9 percent expected their finances to worsen.
"Generally people think they are doing better than the overall economy. Most people think they have a plan, but they don't think that everyone else does," Laney said.
Big Island residents were the most optimistic about their own economic prospects, with 39 percent expecting improvement and 48 percent saying they expect their personal financial situation to remain the same. Eight percent expect their situation to get worse.
Kauai residents were the least optimistic. Sixty percent said they expected their financial situation to remain the same, while 28 percent expect some improvement. Ten percent predict things would get worse.
For the state overall, 48 percent of Kauai residents polled expect the state's economy to worsen and 40 percent say it will remain the same. Only 10 percent predict some improvement.
On Oahu, 51 percent said the state economy will stay the same, 33 percent said it will get worse and 12 percent predicted improvement.
Looking back to May 2000, a similar poll of 426 Oahu registered voters conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., found residents in a much more optimistic mood. When asked if they thought the state's economy was improving, declining or stagnant, 43 percent said they expected improvement, 46 percent said it was stagnant, and 10 percent said things would worsen.