Half of Valley voters know someone who has overdosed on drugs

According to the final report of the 2018 San Joaquin Valley Survey, half of registered voters know someone who has overdosed on prescription or illegal drugs.

The findings in the report are based on a random sample of registered voters from the San Joaquin Valley. The survey was conducted by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy from Feb. 5 through Feb. 15, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.

Low-income and high-income voters were the most likely to say they knew someone who had overdosed. Drug overdoses have increasingly been recognized as an epidemic in the San Joaquin Valley and across the nation.

“These new findings indicate how widespread the drug crisis has become and the extent to which it reaches all income levels,” said Dr. Jeff Cummins, co-director of the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy.

In other findings, 3 out of 4 voters said affordable housing is either a “big problem” or “somewhat of a problem” in the San Joaquin Valley. Concern for affordable housing is highest among low-income respondents.

The final report can be found on the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy website.

For more information, contact Dr. Jeff Cummins at 559.278.6693 or Dr. Lisa Bryant at 559.278.7612 or 559.512.0124.