Half of Illinois residents would move to another state if they could — the highest percentage for any state, according to a poll released by Gallup this week. Nearly half of those polled in Connecticut and Maryland said they would move.
Some 19 percent of Illinoisans surveyed said they plan to move in the next 12 months, a rate that trailed only Nevada.
The New Jersey-based polling firm conducted interviews of 600 residents in each state, asking “Regardless of whether you will move, if you had the opportunity, would you like to move to another state, or would you rather remain in your current state?”
On average, 33 percent of those polled would leave their state. Montana, Hawaii and Maine had the lowest percentage of residents expressing a desire to move.
The top reason for wanting to move from Illinois, given by 26 percent of those polled, was “work/business-related.” Weather was the next most-cited reason for wanting to move, though the poll was conducted from June to December 2013, meaning pollsters contacted respondents at latest midway through this year’s frigid, snowy winter.
A release from Gallup points out that Illinois has ranked at the bottom of recent polls gauging residents satisfaction with state taxes, state government and “overall perceptions of how their state compares to others as a place to live.”
On the positive side, since the poll has a margin of error of plus/minus 5 percent, Illinois could be tied or faring better than the other states in the top three, Connecticut (49) and Maryland (47), said Brian Gaines, a political scientist at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
The responses likely point to a general disaffection with state leadership, which has been scandal-plagued for decades and more recently has seemed unable to deal with lingering budget and pension crises, Gaines said. But he noted that it often is hard to say why people want to move.
“It is sort of noisy data. There are a lot of reasons why people want to move, and it could be that they have a problem with their city or local area more than their state,” he said. Despite the polling responses, it is unlikely that 20 percent of current residents are likely to move in the next 12 months, Gaines said.
The poll can be viewed here.
-Chicago Tribune reporting
No Surprise People Want To Run Out Of Illinois
High Taxes, even higher Crime.
Illinois wants to take over all small business employees 401K retirement savings & the state wants to manage those 410K’s and drive them in the ground like they did with Illinois Bright Start College program OMG.
Those same Politicians in play for at least the past 20-30-40 years. I really don’t believe it is just the weather that makes over 50% of prople living in illinois that want to leave and stop living in Illinois according to a Gallup pole. Do you?
Barb
Taxes, bad politics, dept, crime, poverty and screaming high costs for schools….run away while you can!
Mr Magoo
Inner-cities certainly have been gentrified into cess-pools now haven't they.
SeanHAMMity
Just the article the trolling, teabagging Kochlickers were looking for! We can almost feel the frothiness in your comments!
John
Half of the people in Illinois want to move, then half should vote in the next election, and vote the clowns out of office. If that happens maybe they will change their minds.
Brenda
I can't wait to move, in 2 yrs!!!