The major findings of this survey include:
- New Hampshire voters almost unanimously support investing in land conservation efforts.
- More than three quarters of New Hampshire voters (81%) think the State of New Hampshire should spend public funds for land conservation.
- Most New Hampshire voters (86%) say preserving land for water quality protection is a very important part of land conservation, 81% say preserving forest land and working forests is very important, followed by preserving wildlife habitat (79%), preserving farmland (73%), preserving historic and cultural sites (62%), preserving land for recreation (62%), and improving and expanding state parks (49%).
- Nearly all New Hampshire voters (97 %) agree (76 % strongly agree and 2% somewhat agree) that we must invest in land conservation to protect New Hampshire’s quality of life for future generations, 95% agree that protecting land, water, and wildlife in New Hampshire is critical to our tourist industry and helps create jobs, 94% agree that we need to make sure our farms are protected from development to provide sources of locally - grown food, 90% agree that some of our forests and farm lands are being lost to development, and we should take steps to preserve them, 45% agree that protecting land as open space takes land off the tax rolls and prevents residential and commercial development, which could raise property taxes, 23% agree that the legislature has to make hard choices in these tough times, and we just can’t afford land conservation right now, and 11% agree that New Hampshire as more than enough forests, farms, and open space, and we do not need to do any more to protect them.
- Support for investing in land conservation is bipartisan among New Hampshire voters.
