By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University today released its annual survey report on the significant issues facing our state and nation.
The Kansas Speaks survey report provides extensive insight into how Kansans perceive the current political, economic, and social conditions in our state and the nation. The 2021 Kansas Speaks fall survey was conducted from Dec. 4-17, 2021. A panel of 523 adult residents of Kansas age 18 and older were surveyed online to assess their attitudes and opinions regarding various issues of interest to Kansas citizens.
Brett Zollinger, Docking Institute’s director, and report co-author, believes the timing of this year’s report may be helpful to voters and the state’s political leaders and policymakers. Zollinger said:
“We are pleased to offer findings on perennial questions in the Kansas Speaks survey as well as findings on questions about current policy issues, including attitudes about Medicaid expansion, which is in the legislative process right now,” Zollinger said, “and about abortion, pertinent to a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that will be before Kansas voters this August.”
Key findings from the December 2021 survey include:
- Kansans’ rating of Kansas economy was still relatively low in the fall of 2021, with 21% of respondents feeling the state’s economy was “very good” or “excellent” in fall 2020. Also, 66% of respondents felt Kansas was on the right track.
- For three consecutive years, Gov. Laura Kelly consistently enjoys the highest satisfaction rating among a list of state and federal officeholders and governing bodies.
- Kansans were much more confident with the election security in Kansas elections than with the election security in other states and the 2020 Presidential election.
- Among eight considerations for redistricting offered, the largest percentages of respondents felt it very “very important” or “absolutely essential” to keep counties, cities, and towns together in the same district rather than breaking them apart into different districts, and to draw as many competitive districts as possible where neither party has a clear election advantage. Of all considerations for redistricting offered, electing as many Democrats or Republicans as possible was deemed the least important by Kansans.
- Support for Medicaid expansion increased to 73%, up from about 60% in the previous two years of surveying, and 62% indicated that the issue of Medicaid expansion is “highly important” or “extremely important” in deciding who gets their vote to represent them in the Kansas Legislature.
- Kansans became more supportive of legalizing recreational marijuana for individuals 21 and older to allow state taxation, with 71% expressing support in 2021, up from 67% in 2020 and 63% in 2019.
The 2021 Kansas Speaks Survey is available online at
FHSU’s report authors are Dr. Jian Sun, the Docking Institute’s assistant director and professor of political science, and Dr. Brett Zollinger, institute director and professor of sociology. Docking Institute policy fellows who collaborated on question content for this year’s Kansas Speaks Survey were Dr. Patrick Miller, associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas, and Dr. Michael Smith, professor of political science at Emporia State University. Miller contributed items measuring attitudes toward redistricting and abortion. Smith contributed items pertaining to COVID-19 vaccination and reasons for getting vaccinated or not getting vaccinated.
The Docking Institute also thanks the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas for contributing questions about broadband connectivity. For more information on the 2021 Kansas Speaks Survey or the Docking Institute of Public Policy, contact FHSU Chief Communications Officer Scott Cason at 785-628-4208 or sacason@fhsu.edu