A NEW STUDY demonstrates that immigrant families in the state are facing the same toll from the coronavirus disruption of the economy as most working-class Americans — but their problems are exacerbated by exclusion from crucial safety-net programs and stimulus payments. The survey, conducted from July 2 to 27 by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, included 433 respondents from across the Commonwealth who speak 16 languages. […]
By The Numbers
Posted inEconomy
Survey: Essential workers don’t feel safe
“ESSENTIAL” WORKERS MUST go to work during the coronavirus pandemic — but a majority of these workers do not feel safe at their jobs, according to a new survey. The survey of 1,600 essential workers in Western Massachusetts conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Labor Center found that the workers, by and large, […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollster explores commuter rail survey
Richard Parr, the research director of the MassINC Polling Group, said he was surprised at the strong support in a statewide, online poll for regional rail and a number of other ambitious transportation initiatives, including an underground rail link connecting North and South Stations. The most popular initiative was transitioning the commuter rail fleet from diesel to electric power. […]
Posted inBy The Numbers, Politics
New poll contradicts earlier casino survey
Two recent Massachusetts polls on casino gambling produced very different results, but the difference may have more to do with the population being surveyed than any actual change in attitude. A new telephone poll conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute indicates that 59 percent of Massachusetts adults support establishing casinos in Massachusetts […]
Posted inBy The Numbers, Opinion, Politics
UMass Lowell pollster defends surveys
In a recent CommonWealth article by Lawrence DiCara and James Sutherland, “A Tale of Two Cities: Boston Mayoral Vote Shows Big Split on Education and Income,” the authors note two continuing empirical trends in municipal voting in Boston: (1) northern neighborhoods continue to exhibit lower turnout than southern neighborhoods and (2) voting behavior appears to […]