DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR TAX AND EXPENDITURE INITIATIVES - AN OREGON AND WASHINGTON CASE-STUDY

This article examines the determinants of public support for state tax and expenditure initiatives in Washington and Oregon during the 1993 elections. Both states had initiatives on their November ballots deali ng with taxes and expenditures-Measure 1 in Oregon, which would have i ntroduced a state sales tax, and two initiatives in Washington (I-601 and I-602) concerning state government revenue and expenditure limitat ions. Using statewide mail and telephone surveys conducted among votin g age residents of Oregon and Washington several weeks prior to the el ection, this study examines the determinants of public support for eac h of the initiatives. The determinants of support examined include var ious sociodemographic factors such as age cohort, gender, education, l evel of income, and occupational sector (public v. private); the level of informedness concerning each initiative; perceptions of self inter est; and various political indicators, including partisan identificati on, ideology, degree of cynicism concerning state politics, and percep tions of state budget waste. Findings suggest similar patterns of supp ort and opposition among citizens in both states, with perceptions of high state waste and political cynicism strongly associated with suppo rt for tax and expenditure limitation in Washington and opposition to the adoption of a sales tax in Oregon.