By Mike Cook
Small business, farming and ranching, the film industry and community colleges are at one end, and the medical system, public schools, national banks, the mining industry and the courts are at the other in a 2020 survey of the industries most and least favored by New Mexicans.
Those results are part of this year’s Garrity Perception Survey, conducted by Research and Polling Inc. for the Garrity Group Public Relations. Both companies are based in Albuquerque.
Garrity has commissioned the survey annually since 2011 to measure “who residents trust, which industries are favorable and how residents access news and information,” according to www.garritypr.com. The results are based on phone interviews of 408 randomly selected adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
Here are some of the survey’s main findings:
- Overall, small businesses are viewed the most positively by New Mexicans, with 79 percent having a favorable opinion (receiving a rating of a four or five on a five-point scale), followed by the farming and ranching industry at 77 percent. 70 percent have a favorable opinion of the film industry. 70 percent have a favorable opinion of the state’s community colleges, while 61 percent rate state universities favorably and 41 percent have a favorable opinion of the state’s public schools.
- The solar and wind industry tends to be viewed more favorably than other energy or extractive industries. However, public opinion of both the oil and gas industry and the mining industry has improved over the past three years. 64 percent of those surveyed have a positive opinion of the solar
and wind industry, while 57 percent (up from 41 percent in 2017) have a favorable opinion of the oil and gas industry and 38 percent have a favorable opinion of the mining industry. 55 percent have a favorable opinion of the commercial construction industry and 50 percent have a favorable opinion of major business corporations. 44 percent say they have a favorable opinion of the medical system, but 29 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion of the medical system.
- 30 percent have a favorable impression of the courts and justice system, while 33 percent have an
unfavorable opinion and 33 percent have a neutral or mixed opinion, which Garrity said is consistent with previous studies.
- Slightly more than three-quarters of New Mexicans view their relatives as being trustworthy. At 81 percent, women were more likely to trust relatives than men at 61 percent. Teachers are trusted by 69 percent of New Mexico residents. Doctors are trusted by 66 percent of residents. 75 percent of residents 65 years or older trust doctors, compared to 67 percent of residents 18-34 years old. 61 percent trust scientists, and 58 percent view police officers as being trustworthy. 52 percent of those surveyed rate pastors, priests or other religious leaders as being trustworthy, which Garrity said is a decline from 62 percent in 2017.
- Less than half of those surveyed view accountants (45 percent), judges (41 percent), the ordinary man
or woman (40 percent), and business owners/executives (38 percent) as trustworthy.
- One in three views journalists as being trustworthy, while 33 percent distrust journalists and another 30 percent have mixed feelings. Residents living in New Mexico for more than 20 years have a higher level of trust (35 percent) for reporters than do residents who have been here for fewer than eight years (20 percent). More women (41 percent) than men (25 percent) trust journalists. Democrats (40 percent) and independent voters (30 percent) trust journalists more than Republicans (28 percent).
- Of those surveyed, 29 percent trust federal government officials (an increase from 14 percent in 2013), while 36 percent distrust federal officials. 31 percent trust state government officials (an increase from 15 percent in 2014), while 35 percent distrust state officials. More Republicans (56 percent) distrust state government officials than Democrats (24 percent).
- 72 percent say they get their news or information from television either a lot (49 percent) or somewhat (23 percent). Residents who are more likely than others to get news from television “a lot” include seniors 65 years and older (62 percent), compared to those ages 18 to 34 (31 percent). Based on ethnicity, Hispanics access television as a news source 56 percent of the time, compared to anglos, 44 percent. Survey respondents access radio either “a lot” or “somewhat,” both at 24 percent, for news and information. Hispanics (30 percent) are more likely to get news and information from radio “a lot” than anglos (17 percent). Print or online newspapers are accessed by 48 percent of residents as a news
source. Based on income, 53 percent of residents earning less than $20,000 annually and 51 percent of those earning in excess of $80,000 access newspapers on a regular basis. 58 percent say they rely on Internet news sites either “a lot” (33 percent) or “somewhat” (25 percent).
View the full report at www.garritypr.com/garrity-perception-survey.
