Kansas Governor Laura Kelly continues to command the highest approval ratings among the state’s political figures even as public confidence in national leaders and the broader political system steadily erodes, according to findings released by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University.
Diverging Fortunes for State and National Figures
The annual Kansas Speaks survey, conducted between Sept. 23 and Oct. 16, shows 46.9% of state residents satisfied with the performance of Kelly, a two-term Democrat set to leave office in January.
U.S. Roger Marshall saw his approval rating fall from 34% in 2024 to 26% this year. President Donald Trump experienced a similar decline, with his approval dropping from 43% last year to 33% in the latest survey.
Alex Middlewood, who chairs the political science department at Wichita State University, noted she was particularly surprised by Kelly’s steady approval rating given that state Ethan Corson, the candidate Kelly endorsed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, lost his primary race.
Dissatisfaction extends deeply into party ranks. Even 26% of Republicans surveyed reported unhappiness with Marshall, while 21% of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction with Trump.
It is certainly not a good result for a democracy,
Middlewood said regarding the broad distrust in Congress and national politics. She added that voter apathy and perceptions of corruption create a cycle where citizens abandon the ballot box because they believe their voices carry no weight.
When voters have distrust, they’re less likely to participate,
Middlewood explained. And so, it’s really this mutually reinforcing cycle where people don’t participate because they don’t have trust. But then they have lower levels of trust because they’re not participating and they’re not seeing any change.
Public Wariness Over Data Centers and Economic Pressures
The online survey gathered responses from 603 adults answering 57 questions on topics ranging from quality of life and the economy to taxation, healthcare, and infrastructure. Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University who helps design and analyze the survey alongside Middlewood, highlighted the unique scope of questions concerning data centers.
Ours is one of the first honest-to-goodness public opinion surveys I’ve ever seen asking people about data centers in a way that’s not clearly meant to lead toward a preferred answer for an interest group, pro or con, and I think that’s kind of a big deal,
Smith said.
Results show that only a little more than a third of respondents were aware of proposals to site a data center in their community. Among those aware, majorities expressed concern over energy and water consumption, as well as the artificial intelligence operations enabled by the facilities. More than 40% cited fears regarding potential terrorist or foreign targeting, high heat generation, land consumption, and noise pollution. About one-third worried about new solar installations built specifically to power the centers.
When asked about economic impacts, about 40% predicted data centers would negatively affect local economies, while 30.5% anticipated positive outcomes. In communities like Emporia and others, there are people organizing against the data centers,
Smith noted, pointing out that survey responses capture broader public sentiment beyond vocal town hall activists.
Economic anxiety remains a dominant theme across Kansas. About half of respondents view the state’s economy as worsening, and 45% ranked the economy as their top concern, driven by rising costs of living that influence everyday household budgets.
Diverging Views on State Policy Issues
Beyond fiscal concerns, the survey measured public opinion on several key legislative debates:
- Healthcare and Labor: Roughly two-thirds of respondents support Medicaid expansion, though only about a third think about it frequently as a political issue. Nearly 69% support paid family and medical leave, with 11.4% opposed.
- Marijuana: About two-thirds support legalizing medical marijuana, and nearly 60% favor recreational use.
- Immigration and Education: Most participants expressed favorable views toward legal immigrants, though 42.8% perceive illegal immigrants as a public safety risk. Approximately 75% support funding K-12 schools through tax dollars, and 53.8% prioritize education spending over tax cuts.
- Firearms: Wide majorities oppose permitting individuals to carry handguns without a license and reject the presence of guns on college campuses. Support also remains high for red-flag laws preventing dangerous individuals from accessing firearms and for mandatory background checks at gun shows. Approximately 42% reported having a gun in their household.
- Direct Democracy: Just over 51% favor allowing Kansans to place questions on the ballot through petition initiatives. That support rises to 58.4% when respondents are informed that neighboring states utilize petition initiatives.
Roughly half of all respondents consider Kansas a good or excellent place to live, reflecting a slight dip in satisfaction compared to previous years, while 14.4% indicated they plan to leave the state entirely.
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