Idaho now has more independents than Republicans, according to the new Boise State University Public Policy Survey - the first time that result has been found in 20 years of surveys. The survey, which queried 525 adults between Nov. 18 and Jan. 8, found that 39 percent identified their political affiliation as independent; 34 percent chose Republican; and 22 percent said they're Democrats.

In the last survey in 2007, Republicans were at 40 percent, independents 28 percent, and Democrats 25 percent. Carole Nemnich, associated director of the BSU Public Policy Center, said, "This is the first year we've seen independents actually spike above Republicans."

The survey also found that just 49 percent of Idahoans say the state is headed in the right direction - the lowest result ever found by the survey, which saw 70 percent choose that answer in 2004. "It could be a reflection of the tough times," said BSU professor Stephanie Witt.

In other results, jobs were named the "most important issue" facing the state, at 33 percent, followed by education, 24 percent, and the economy, 17 percent. Fifty-six percent said their household has been "personally impacted by cuts in state programs and services;" 75 percent said budget cuts have affected the quality of children's education; and 59 percent don't think the state is investing enough in higher education. However, respondents were divided on whether to raise taxes; 53 percent supported raising the sales tax to support the K-12 public school budget; but only 39 percent favored raising the sales tax a penny to "close the budget gap," and 41 percent were "strongly" opposed to that.