Funding for public transportation: results from a Midwest exit poll

Public transportation can lead to increases in physical activity, access to jobs, healthcare, and healthy food, and may improve overall health. Funding for public transit is essential for a sustainable transportation system. However, most health studies have not focused on voting behavior as a mechanism for sustaining public transportation. This study employs a cross-sectional, in-person, exit poll of voters at 10 randomly selected polling locations during a local election in 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. The voter ballot included a question to extend an existing 3/8 cent sales tax for public transportation. Participants (N = 649) overwhelmingly supported (90.6 %) sustaining taxes for public transportation. Individuals who used public transit (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.92, p < 0.05) were more likely to support sustained taxes than individuals who did not use public transit. Republicans (OR = 0.03, p < 0.001) and Independents (OR = 0.17, p < 0.001) were less likely to support taxes than Democrats. Democratic affiliation (χ² = 82.9, p < 0.001), older individuals (χ² = 19.66, p < 0.01), and using public transit (Z = 3.90, p < 0.001) were predictors of support for additional taxes, with 85.4 % of voters reporting that they are very or somewhat likely to support additional taxes. Public transit usage and political party affiliation seem to be the main factors that predict voting behavior for taxes that support public transit. These results suggest that transit agencies and policy makers should consider additional taxes to improve and expand public transit as a mechanism to improve population health.