HAYS, Kan., Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Docking Institute of Public Affairs recently released the annual Kansas Speaks Survey of public opinion. A panel of 526 adult residents of Kansas, ages 18 and older, was surveyed online to assess their attitudes and opinions regarding various issues of interest to Kansas citizens. This year’s survey covered topics including quality of life, the economy, ratings of elected officials, childcare and elderly care, water conservation, use of artificial intelligence, and a range of public policy issues, a selection of which includes attitudes toward legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, immigration, Medicaid expansion, and minimum wage.
“This year, besides tracking people’s opinion of the Kansas economy, we ask about their ratings of the national economy for the first time. Kansans’ rating of the Kansas economy is higher than the rating of the national economy,” said survey report co-author Jian Sun. “27.7% of Kansans rate the Kansas economy as excellent or very good, 12.8% rate it as poor or very poor. In contrast, 17.5% rate the national economy as excellent or very good, and 40.2% rate it as poor or very poor. 36.1% felt the Kansas economy is getting worse, compared to 54.4% feeling that way about the national economy. The rating of the Kansas economy has become more positive in the past three years, but the percentage of Kansans feeling concerned that the Kansas economy will seriously threaten their or their family’s welfare remains high; this year 46.5% feel very or moderately concerned, slightly up from 42.5% in 2024.”
Select findings from the 2025 Kansas Speaks Survey include:
- About 70% support legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas (14% oppose), while about 59% support legalizing recreational marijuana (24% oppose). The support level is similar to last year’s.
- Support for Medicaid expansion in Kansas in 2025 continues to be at about 70%. 61% of the respondents felt the issue was highly or extremely important as they decide who will get their vote to represent them in the Kansas Legislature; 51% felt so in 2024.
- About two-thirds agree that legal immigrants contribute to the economic growth of the U.S. (66%), the economic vitality of Kansas (64%), and of their own community (64%). More than half agree that they contribute to government revenue by paying taxes (55%), enriching American culture and values (55%), and taking jobs that Americans don’t want (56%).
- Regarding illegal immigration, about 42% agree that illegal immigrants contribute more to society than they take in terms of resources, while 39% disagree with the statement.
- Almost two-thirds agree that education beyond high school is a good return on investment for both the student (64% agree; 16% disagree) and the general population of Kansas (63% agree; 13% disagree). The percentages of people agreeing are higher than last year.
- About 52% are very or moderately concerned that Kansas might be running out of water. 48% were very or moderately concerned with the water quality in Kansas.
- About 80% support raising the Kansas minimum wage.
“Agreement that higher education’s return on investment is worth it both for the individual student and for the general population of Kansas is noticeably higher this year,” said Brett Zolinger, Docking Institute Director.
“Though the 2026 election for governor is a long way off, we used this year’s Kansas Speaks survey to get a read on name recognition and general impression of a candidate, when the respondent recognized the name. Of the 11 candidates in the race as of the survey, name recognition is highest for Jeff Colyer (35.1%) and Scott Schwab (29.1%), while general positive impression is highest for Joy Eakins (53.9%) and Vicki Schmidt (46.2%).”
A complete copy of the 2025 Kansas Speaks Survey results and results from previous years can be found at https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/Kansas-Speaks/.
Two political scientists from other Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) universities collaborated with Docking Institute staff on this year’s survey: Alexandra Middlewood from Wichita State University and Michael Smith of Emporia State University.
The two policy fellows worked closely with Docking Institute researchers to establish survey content and make methodological decisions. Smith led on content related to diversity in representation of elected officials, care for the elderly, and abortion attitudes/policy questions. Middlewood led in content that focused on childcare, immigration, and water conservation questions.
About the Docking Institute of Public Affairs
The primary mission of Fort Hays State University’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs is to facilitate effective public policy decision-making among governmental and non-profit entities. The Institute’s work centers on five primary areas of focus, including:
- Survey and evaluation research
- Economic impact and feasibility studies
- Strategic planning facilitation
- Public affairs programming through public opinion surveying, conferences, speakers, forums, television and radio programming, newspaper columns, and scholarly publications
- Public administration and leadership training programs
Learn more at https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/
- Docking Institute of Public Affairs