BRAF releases CityStats report – Respondents chime in on traffic, crime, same-sex marriage and marijuana

A small sample of the city has spoken, and that sample wants progress.

In a CityStats report released today by Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF), East Baton Rouge Parish residents responded to questions on topics ranging from traffic to the legalization of marijuana and everything in between.

Among the key findings, 57% say they would pay a toll to use a road to avoid traffic on Essen Lane and College Drive.

On the issue of global warming, 58% of respondents believe the planet is in a period of global warming. Another 56% say human activity is either primarily or partly responsible for global warming; 63% want the government to do more to regulate responsible emissions.

Though 49% oppose legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, 45% were for it, and a strong majority under the age of 34 support legalization. Nearly seven of 10 over 65 years old are against it.

More people in the parish were for legalizing same-sex marriage for the first time—47% were for legalizing, while 45% were against it. In the previous survey, 44% were in favor, and 49% were against.

On the topic of neighborhoods, 42% say theirs are getting better, a rise from 35% in the previous year.

Residents also think the rate of progress in the city isn’t happening at a comfortable speed—56% said progress is too slow.

This is the fifth year of the report, which tracks more than 70 quality-of-life indicators. The poll was conducted in February and March 2013. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab conducted the poll of 360 landlines and 153 cell phones; the margin of error is 4.3%.

For some details on what respondents said about law enforcement and gun control, read Baton Rouge Business Report’s latest article from today’s edition of Daily Report.

Read the entire CityStats report here.

What do you think about these issues and the report? Leave us a comment below.