Would You Support a Soda Tax?

A poll released Monday found that a majority of Arizona voters would be in support of a soda tax to help fund the state’s education system.

OH Predictive Insights polled a group of likely voters and found that 59 percent would support a tax on soft drinks as long as the tax money went directly to Arizona’s education.

Managing partner and chief pollster at OH Predictive Insights, Mike Noble, stated that “Just like cigarettes and alcohol, people don’t mind adding taxes there for the greater good.”


9 percent of the residents polled said they were unsure as to whether they would vote and the other 32 percent said that they would be against any soda tax.

Democratic and independent voters were the majority to support the tax. About two-thirds of them said they would back the tax, while about half of Republicans said they would support it.

More than 65 percent of women respondents said they would vote for the tax, compared to 51 percent of men.

Arizona would not be the first state to propose such a tax. Many U.S. cities have either tried to pass or passed a tax on soda. The results have not always gone without controversy. Last month, Chicago repealed their soda tax.

The automated poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Nov. 9 from a sample. The demographics reflected the state’s percentages on party affiliation, geographic location and gender.