New poll shows North Dakotans want changes to Legacy Fund priorities and transparency

Courtesy: North Dakota State Legislature
Courtesy: North Dakota State Legislature

(Bismarck, ND) -- A new poll shows North Dakotans want more transparency and local investments to be made with the Legacy Fund.

The data is from the North Dakota News Cooperative, which shows 68% of respondents want investments from the legacy fund to stay within the state of North Dakota instead of investments with out-of-state or foreign companies. 59% of respondents were also open to using the Legacy Fund to reduce property taxes.

 “These results leave no doubt. The people of North Dakota want major policy changes and they know what they want their sovereign wealth fund to be used for,” said Dr. Trevor Smith, the Chief Research Officer of WPA Intelligence, the national research firm that conducted the survey. “They are sending a powerful message to your State Investment Board.” 

 Additionally, 84% of respondents wanted more transparency by making the State Investment Board post their investments on a public platform instead of requiring people to go through an official channel.