Voters: Jobs yes, guns no | www.myajc.com

On the eve of the 2014 legislative session, Georgia voters are generally pleased with the direction of the GOP-led state but not with one of the lawmakers’ signature proposals to expand access to guns statewide, according to a new poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Voters still feel the sting of the recession. An overwhelming number stressed they want jobs and the economy to be the focus of the Gold Dome this year.

Yet the poll, conducted by Abt SRBI of New York, should give heart to legislators and Gov. Nathan Deal: A strong majority of Georgians are optimistic about the state’s progress.

Fifty-nine percent of all respondents said they are satisfied with the way things are going in Georgia today. Across the board of demographic, age, race and region, only nonwhites failed to produce a majority who are satisfied with the direction Georgia is headed.

Forty-five percent of respondents give lawmakers a positive grade about how the Georgia Legislature is doing its job, compared with 39 percent who do not. The approval rating is impressive, pollsters said, given the dismal rating voters give Congress.

But state legislators face not only a gender gap, but also age and race gaps, as majorities of men and whites approve of the General Assembly’s performance. Women and nonwhite voters are less pleased.

And when it comes to Republican proposals to greatly expand the rights of Georgians to carry guns onto college campuses, into churches and other locations, the poll found voters strongly opposed.

via Voters: Jobs yes, guns no | www.myajc.com.