A majority of Marylanders told a UMBC pollster they have considered moving out of the state. One reason found by the poll is that many consider the state a difficult place in which to open or operate a business. (File photo by Angela Breck/Maryland Matters)
A majority of Marylanders said they have considered moving from the state in the near future even though they believe it is a good place to raise children, according to a poll released Thursday.
Many of those participating in the survey by the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, expressed concerns with the state’s business climate, job market and friendliness toward retirees. The poll highlights a potential problem as Gov. Wes Moore (D) attempts to focus on growing the state’s economy.
“For a majority of Marylanders, the state is a great place to live and raise a family,” said Mileah Kromer, a pollster and director of the Institute of Politics.
There are also concerns.
The latest UMBC Poll surveyed 803 Maryland adults, including 769 who said they were registered voters, from Feb. 11-15. It has an overall margin of error of 3.5%. The margin of error among registered voters is also 3.5%.
Part one of the poll was released on Tuesday with a second part released Wednesday.
Many who responded rated Maryland favorably on questions about family, health care and education.
A majority of respondents — 56% — said Maryland is a good or excellent place to raise a family. Another 27% said it was a fair place to raise a family and 16% rated the state as poor.
Maryland is also a good place to access health care, with 54% rating the state as excellent or good. Just 15% rated the state as poor when it comes to accessing health care.
Marylanders were more evenly split on the state’s education system with 50% rating access to a quality education as excellent or good. Forty-eight percent said it was fair or poor.
Those surveyed were asked if they had considered moving from Maryland within the next few years to a different state. Fifty-three percent said they had at least considered it, while 2% considered moving out of the country or some other option. Another 44% said they had not considered moving.
Nearly seven independents in 10 and 63% of Republicans said they considered migrating to another state. For Democrats, the number that had considered calling a mover fell to nearly four in 10.
The poll sheds some light on potential reasons, including lack of “good paying jobs,” business climate and being a good place to retire.
Moore frequently touts the state’s low unemployment rate — 3.1% according to the most recent data for December.
Even so, respondents were mixed when asked how Maryland is to find a good-paying job with 33% rating the state as fair and 35% calling it good. Another 17% rated Maryland as poor, while 11% said excellent.
Perceptions of the state’s business climate was also a mixed bag. Slightly more than one-third of those asked said the state was a good or excellent place to open or run a business. Another 35% said it was a fair place for businesses and 19% gave a poor rating.
Moore — as with his predecessor — has called for efforts to make the state more business-friendly, proposing regulatory, procurement and permitting reform.