The 2026 Idaho Public Policy Survey, conducted and released by Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute, has been released as public information this week. The survey, conducted Nov. 8-17, 2025, examined the attitudes of a representative sample of 1,000 adults who currently live in Idaho with a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. Each year, the survey measures Idaho citizen’s attitudes toward a number of relevant topics in the state, including the economy, taxes, elections, voting behavior, education, growth, housing, energy and land management. Organizations across the state, notably the Idaho Legislature, widely reference the survey. It helps inform policy decisions at the state, local and regional levels.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Idahoans still believe the state is headed in the right direction (46%), but are far more pessimistic about the state’s economic situation than they were a year ago, with the proportion expecting things to get worse (42%) increasing by 19 points over last year.
- Housing (39%) remains the top budget priority among Idahoans for the third consecutive year, followed by K-12 education (26%), and tax relief (15%).
- About 1 in 5 Idahoans (20%) say they are finding it difficult to get by financially, while about 2 in 5 Idahoans (43%) say they are just getting by. Just over a third (35%) reported living comfortably.
- Idahoans generally expressed support for House Bill 93, the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit (56-61%), but were split between preferring to wait and see how the program works before making further changes (36%) and repealing the tax credit (35%).
- Nearly 2 in 5 Idahoans (37%) would describe access to health care in Idaho as difficult. Among these, health care being too expensive, a lack of doctors and specialists, and dealing with insurance were the top three difficulties identified.
- Idahoans are generally supportive (59-61%) of a proposed ballot initiative that would establish a right to make private reproductive health care decisions, including abortion up to fetal viability and in medical emergencies.
- A majority of Idahoans (53%) believe if the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were to increase its presence in Idaho, it would hurt Idaho’s agricultural economy. Most Idahoans (85%) favor a pathway to legal working status for dairy workers and their families who have lived in Idaho for over 10 years and have no criminal record.
- Nearly half of Idahoans (46%) oppose transferring management of federal lands to the State of Idaho, a 4-point decline from the last time this question was asked in 2016.
“The goal of the Idaho Public Policy Survey this past decade is to provide an opportunity for Idahoans to voice their opinions on the policy questions of the day using clear, unbiased language,” said Survey Research Director Matthew May. “This year’s survey results help illustrate the complexity of Idahoans, showing a balance between optimism and pessimism. We feel that understanding this balance is an important data point for policy makers as they begin their work.”
On Feb. 4, Boise State will host an event to showcase and discuss the results of the survey. Details can be found on the event webpage.
View the survey results dashboard on the Boise State website.