Citizen Views on Government Structure in Milwaukee County
Survey of Milwaukee County Residents
August, 2008

The Public Policy Forum's new public opinion survey marks the first comprehensive measure of public opinion on county government since the eruption of the pension scandal in 2002 and the county executive's widely publicized fiscal "reality" tour in 2006. The survey also comes on the heels of a call by a prominent civic leader for elimination of county government.

Overall, the survey reveals that citizens have a favorable view of Milwaukee County and services provided by Milwaukee County government. Nevertheless, a large majority of the survey respondents see a need for some restructuring of county government. African-American as well as low-income respondents are less positive about the county and a higher proportion of them support restructuring. Respondents are evenly split in support of changes in governance regarding certain county functions.

Related materials:
Appendix - Complete Survey Results