Poll shows housing, roads and bridges, and education among top concerns
While most Rhode Islanders are satisfied with how healthcare is delivered in the state, they feel more should be done to make it more affordable to everyone, according to a new public opinion poll from researchers at the University of Rhode Island. Those high healthcare costs have led to some people not seeking recommended medical care.
The fourth annual Rhode Island Survey Initiative poll—led
by URI’s College of Arts and
Sciences, and its Social Science
Institute for Research, Education and Policy—surveyed a representative
sample of 500 Rhode Islanders ages 18 and older between July 29 and Aug. 13,
2026. Administered by the polling firm YouGov via the internet, survey
participants were chosen from YouGov’s opt-in survey panel of Rhode Island residents.
The margin of error for the poll is +/- 5.73%.
According to the poll, 36% of Rhode Islanders graded the
state’s overall healthcare system as a “C,” or “satisfactory,” while 27% rated
it as a “B,” or “good.” Most Rhode Islanders also feel that access to
healthcare in the state is satisfactory (34%) or good (28%), and the quality of
it is mostly good (37%) or satisfactory (31%).
The cost of healthcare, however, is a problem, Rhode
Islanders say. This year’s poll shows that healthcare costs were the
most-common worrisome household expense over groceries, gas, monthly rent and
other expenses among respondents. Seventy-two percent of the poll’s respondents
indicated they were either very worried (33%) or somewhat worried (39%) about
healthcare costs for themselves and their families.
“Every household bill we asked about gets easier as income
rises, except healthcare costs. What this tells us is that for low-income
households in Rhode Island, healthcare costs are one worry among several
others, as budgets are stretched across a variety of necessities,” said Michael DiNardi, URI
associate professor of economics and SSIREP director. “Among high income
households in Rhode Island, healthcare stands alone, 17 points above any other
costs we surveyed.”
More troubling is some Rhode Islanders are choosing to not
seek medical help due to those rising costs. According to the poll, 29% of
Rhode Islanders did not pursue doctor-recommended procedures, tests or other
evaluations in the last 12 months. The most common reason? Cost.
“The data show us that unaffordable healthcare costs serve as barriers to care,” said Julie Keller, URI associate professor of sociology and Rhode Island Survey Initiative lead researcher. “This is especially concerning since delaying care often leads to poor health outcomes.”
Additionally, the 89% of those polled who are covered by
health insurance want to see changes to help make healthcare more affordable in
Rhode Island. Forty-one percent said they want to see their respective
coverages reduce out-of-pocket costs. Also, 24% said they would like to see the
elimination of prior authorizations, which refers to the approval process many
health insurance companies require before services, treatments or medications
can be obtained.
The poll shows that 19% of Rhode Islanders with health
insurance want to have greater choice in what doctors and specialists they see.
In addition, Rhode Islanders surveyed overwhelmingly (44%) trust their own
doctors or healthcare provider “a great deal” for reliable information about
their health, more than double the share who said the same about the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18%), Health and Human Services
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (16%), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(15%), President Donald Trump (13%), or Rhode Island state officials (11%).
Growing support for a public medical school
Another solution favored by a growing share of Rhode
Islanders is for URI to establish a medical school to train more primary-care
doctors. Support for the idea rose to 82% in this year’s poll, up from 75% last
year. In June, the
URI Board of Trustees authorized the next phase of developing a public
medical school after state leaders approved a historic $5 million investment to
help the University address the state’s ongoing healthcare challenges. URI is
now moving forward with key elements of the effort, including hiring a founding
dean, project manager and development officer, and beginning curriculum
planning.
Plus, 49% of the poll’s respondents say that Rhode Island
isn’t spending enough money on improving and protecting healthcare in the
state, with 62% indicating that healthcare should be a top priority for elected
leaders.
Along with noting healthcare costs being problematic, this
year’s survey also asked Rhode Islanders about other top priorities to be
addressed by state government; thoughts on the gubernatorial election; trust in
the federal government; and another critical topic for Rhode Islanders:
housing.
Housing, other key priorities
This year’s poll shows that 64% of Rhode Islanders feel
addressing the state’s housing crisis should be the most important priority for
state elected officials, slightly higher than healthcare (62%). Eighty-two
percent of respondents this year believe that the cost of housing is “somewhat
of a problem” or “a big problem.”
With that, 43% of Rhode Islanders blame landlords for price
gouging their tenants, and 28% say there isn’t enough investment being made
toward public housing. They also feel high mortgage interest rates (25%) and
rising construction material and labor costs (24%) are also causing rising
housing prices in Rhode Island.
Last
year’s poll similarly noted that Rhode Islanders agreed housing costs
in the state are worrisome—much like healthcare this year—and supported every
type of housing to be built. But the respondents were split on how to fix the
crisis.
Building and repairing roads and bridges (37%), education
(30%), crime (26%) and aiding the poor (25%) were other issues Rhode Islanders
felt needed attention from state government, according to the poll.
Democrats, Republicans and Independents equally felt that
housing and healthcare are the two top priorities state officials need to
address. However, Republicans and Independents feel repairing roads and bridges
is the third-most important issue the state needs to look at, while Democrats
believe education is the state’s third-most pressing matter.
Gubernatorial outlook
Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s approval rating in this year’s survey
is seven percentage points higher (36%) than a year ago (29%), better than data
in other recent polls about the gubernatorial incumbent. McKee’s 38%
disapproval rating in this year’s poll is similar to last year’s.
When asked about hypothetical matchups for this year’s
general gubernatorial election, there’s more enthusiasm for Democratic
challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes among overall Democrat, Republican and
Independent voters. For example, Foulkes’ support ranges between 42% and 43%
among registered voters in hypothetical matchups with Republican candidates
Elaine Pelino and Aaron Guckian, and Independent candidate Ken Block, while
McKee’s overall support is 37%.
Among Independents, Foulkes’ support ranges between 20% and
21% in hypothetical matchups, while Independent support for McKee is between 8%
and 10%. Republican candidates also have stronger overall support against McKee
(21% for Pelino; 20% for Guckian) than against Foulkes (19% for Pelino; 17% for
Guckian) in the November election.
Block’s chances in November are mixed. He has similar
support from overall voters against either McKee or Foulkes in the general
election, according to the poll. However, his support from Independents drops
dramatically against Foulkes (between 16% and 21% based on matchups) than if he
is facing McKee (between 25% and 31% based on matchups).
Trust in government
Rhode Islanders’ trust in the federal government has
increased slightly, from 39% having a fair amount or a great deal of trust in
2025 to 41% in 2026, according to the poll. Still, those figures are below the
54% in federal government trust that Rhode Islanders had in 2024.
This year’s poll data also shows that Rhode Islanders have
more trust in local municipal government, with 64% noting either a great deal
or a fair amount of trust, while 59% noting either a great deal or a fair
amount of trust in state government.
Quality of life/economy
Rhode Islanders also feel the state’s quality of life and
perceptions about the local economy are improving. This year’s poll shows that
60% of respondents feel they’re either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied
with Rhode Island’s quality of life, compared to 53% a year ago.
Twenty-six percent of Rhode Islanders said the state’s
economy was somewhat or very strong this year, versus 22% from a year ago.
Media usage
Once again, the survey shows that television is the most
common way for Rhode Islanders to get their news at 54%, followed by news
websites and apps (50%). Data shows that 38% of respondents get their news from
social media—YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, etc.—while 19% always or often get
their news from print publications.
More Rhode Islanders are also receiving their news via
podcasts. According to the poll, 21% of respondents turned to podcasters to get
their news, up from 16% a year ago.
About the survey
The Rhode Island Survey Initiative was launched in 2023 by a
team of researchers from URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media;
the Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy; and the URI
Department of Political Science, with plans to conduct at least one survey of
Rhode Island residents each year. Each poll includes a different focus area,
with some repeated questions to gauge the change in attitudes of Rhode Island
residents. The 2026 RISI is supported by URI’s College of Arts and Sciences,
the College of Health Sciences and the John Hazen White Sr. Center for Ethics
and Public Service. Previous major RISI themes have included education,
election integrity and trust, and housing.
To learn more, or to view the full report, visit the Rhode Island Survey Initiative
website.
Note about methodology
Party identification was constructed using the seven-point
Party Identification scale where self-identified Democrats and Independents who
identify as “leaning Democrat” are combined into the “Democrat” category,
self-identified Republicans and Independents who identify as “leaning
Republican” are combined into the “Republican” category, and pure Independents
are in the “Independent” category.
