By: Mark Glennon*
Two new surveys conducted by Cor Strategies found clear opposition across all voter categories to the electric vehicle lithium battery plant planned by Gotion, a Chinese company, for Manteno Illinois.
One survey polled voters statewide and the other voters in Kankakee County, southwest of Chicago, where the plant is to be located.
Voters statewide said they oppose the project by 53% to 27% — a spread of 26% — when provided with basic information and a summary of the claims for and against the plant. Notably, 36% said they “strongly oppose” the plant.
Opponents significantly outnumber supporters of the project in both parties, all age groups, both sexes and in all regions of the state. For independent voters, opponents outnumber supporters 48% to 28% in the statewide poll.
Voter opposition in Kankakee County is still stronger, with 59% opposed and 27% supportive — a spread of 30% — with 43% “strongly opposed.” Independent Kankakee County voters oppose the project by 51% to 16%.
The surveys contained two primary questions. First, voters statewide were asked about the project with little information about it: “The State of Illinois recently announced they are providing $536 million in subsidies to a Chinese company called Gotion so they will locate a new $2 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Kankakee County, Illinois. Do you support or oppose this plant?” Respondents to that initial questions said they opposed the plant by 43% to 32%.
Opposition increased substantially, to 53% opposed and 29% supporting, when respondents were provided with further information including pros and cons about the plant commonly cited by each side.
Specifically, the survey ultimately asked this question: “Proponents of the new plant say this is a historic investment that will create 2,600 good-paying jobs and help make Illinois a leader for electric vehicle manufacturing. Opponents base objections on Gotion’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese military, environmental issues and billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies from the state, federal, and local governments. Knowing what you know now, do you support or oppose this new plant?”
A similar sequence of two questions was used for the Kankakee-only survey. Full scripts of each survey are here and here.
Results are summarized in these two charts:
The surveys, commissioned by Wirepoints, were conducted by COR Strategies between October 23 and 26, 2023. Margins of error are ± 4.2% for the statewide poll and ± 5.3% for the Kankakee County poll. Full information and further cross-tabs are here.
A statewide poll in Michigan last month found greater opposition to a nearly identical Gotion project there, with opponents outnumbering supporters 72% to 11%. That’s perhaps because opinions have had more time to become more informed in Michigan since its Gotion controversy began about six months ahead of Illinois, and the Michigan press has covered the controversy extensively.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Read up on the Gotion project here, where we’ve collected all our columns on it. The story continues to grow as major environmental issues are emerging, which have already led to a lawsuit against the Michigan plant.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
The audience for this Chinese corruption climate change farce boondoggle is the national media for the Pritzker For President 2024 campaign. The headline is: “Pritzker Leads the Globe In Climate Change Solutions With EV Battery Factory”. Period. The eager Democrat Pravda media will eat this up and parrot it incessantly. Free Pravda publicity for the environmental messiah Pritzker.
Nobody cares about legacy media or reads their garbage.
Dave, they certainly do and the numbers show it despite the mistrust. And about a third believe the media is accurate.
70% is the other side of that coin and far more important. I don’t see the point in further analysis when 70% of the public distrusts legacy media. We have more than enough resources to put an end to this mess. History has plenty of valuable lessons and instructions.
Polls lie occasionally, but sales stats don’t. Sun Times and Trib have been in a rather severe downward trend since at least 2015. Libraries and corporate waiting rooms are the only places you’ll find them.
You claim to be expert on communication and media. Check the traffic numbers for the MSM left vs. others. Did MSM not dominate, during Covid for example, in in shaping public opinion? It took a long time to discredit them — after it was too late — and much of the public still does not understand.
You’re lumping a lot of stuff together with the COVID claims. There were obvious coercive, deceptive and treacherous elements at play, too. Legacy media was an accomplice, not the driver. How many people do you know who have taken a recent booster shot?
Legacy media used to serve an economic function for the status quo as the cheapest form of social control. Sacrificing the credibility of the legacy media has been a mistake on their part. Honestly, I think they lost ground with the COVID ruse. Everything else forward is going to cost them lots more money and manpower.
Ah, but the King of Ill-inois, Jabba the Guvnuh, born a step from home plate, shall do as he pleasaeth.
What a sad state (no pun) of affairs… Maybe he will give the jobs to migrants?
Pritzker, the “ Toliet Bowl King”, is only worried
About himself period. The idiot is a billionaire
Thanks to grandpa’s money tries to steal
300,000 in property tax money.
By himself he could not spill piss from a boot with the instructions written on the heal.
I don’t remember Pritzker promising to prop up Illinois’ economy with Chinese factories when campaigning. Nor do I remember him saying the state would offer the Chinese huge tax incentives if they built here. He didnt tell us because many of us wouldn’t have voted for him. I didn’t. I don’t trust him. Why would anyone trust him? Eventually the Chinese will take control away from Pritzker and all of us. When that happens, and it will, blame an ignorant Pritzker voter.
Does anyone think Pritzker gives a rat’s patootie as to what his constituents think about his grand Chinese EV plans?
I don’t.
The average voter doesn’t care either. “Voters statewide said they oppose the project by 53% to 27% — a spread of 26% — when provided with basic information and a summary of the claims for and against the plant.” So when given the information that the survey organizers provided, the majority of voters are against this plant. Curious what percentage of voters would be against it they just asked them if they support or oppose the proposed battery factory in Kankakee. What percentage of the respondents could even tell you about the proposed plant unaided? My guess is the average… Read more »
Assuming Cor Strategies didn’t cherry pick its polling universe, one could effectively argue you’re wrong – that the average voter does care, given the poll results. And if the Illinois and County news media get off their asses and do their job, these polling results will likely be more skewed against the plant. I don’t imagine the average voter in Illinois is much different than the average voter in Michigan, just less informed because of a compliant press. I predict this Pritzker plan will lose its legs because the heat will increase. I’m looking forward to a Pritzker loss on… Read more »
“Assuming Cor Strategies didn’t cherry pick its polling universe, one could effectively argue you’re wrong – that the average voter does care, given the poll results.” I’m making my statement based on what they provided. Their own statement leads one to believe that the average voter only cared once they were “provided basic information”. Something can poll negative and still not matter that much to the average voter. Sure the media pounding the drum will help but until a poll shows that this issue is important to the voters and they will alter their vote, its favorability or opposition will… Read more »
The average doesn’t know because the media doesn’t inform on the issue in Illinois. This is part of problem in Illinois; a media that does not inform its readership of the true realities of situations.
The average voter in IL is “Democrat Good, Republican Bad” and that’s the extent of their interest in IL politics. When CapFax is _the authority_ in IL politics, it’s a sad state of affairs.
As I repeatedly say, the problem with IL are the people that live here. The state population has mostly self-sorted into a Democrat stronghold while the border states have become Republican strongholds.
We are a only party state run by totally corrupt Democrats, and more than half the population is OK with that.
A lot of the Democrat stronghold comes from the Free Stuff Army that has been cultivated for years by these Democrats and provide a solid voting block. Add to that the unionized governmental employees and a formidable voting block results that is hard to overcome in Illinois. Interestingly enough both mentioned groups thrive off taxes surviving via raising taxes and the media supports these groups making me ponder, “Is Illinois fixable?”
Illinois is fixable but it requires a complete demographic change to attracts native born and repels foreign born. Areas with more than 14% foreign born tend to vote Democrat 90%+ of the time. Cities like Des Plaines and Naperville, that are 33% and 22% foreign born, are Democrat strongholds, and vote reliably D+25 every election. It doesn’t help that Illinois repels conservatives. Conservatives in other states don’t apply for jobs in IL. Conservatives in IL flee the state. Conservative college grads (the few remaining) beeline out of IL the first chance they get. Our state attracts the HR wine-aunt with… Read more »
Spot on, Riverbender.
It’s the voters. It’s the parents.
Are the people who are paid to perform, and who present themselves as the ones who really know how things should work, ever actually responsible for anything?
Who down voted this comment? To those who did, you are useful idiots and while worthy of pity, your childish inability to understand what would happen when you elected this twit eliminates any chance of mercy. Decisions have consequences… Just ask the folks from whom money has been shuffled to fund care for migrants who, arguably, weren’t self-interested enough to process CHICAGO IN THE WINTER.
I downvoted it because it’s from the wrong perspective and demoralizing. I don’t care about what Pritzker thinks, I care about what we’re going to do about it.
As for your comment, most didn’t elect this twit. Pritzker paid his way into office. I downvoted you too for giving Pritzker and Chicago Democrats more credit than they deserve.
Bringing battery plants to Illinois is one of Pritzker’s planned future headlines. Can we assume that the Illinois media is semi silent on the details so as to hide the backroom nitty gritty from the public while still providing the headlines for Pritzker?
King Pritzker will not take kindly to such insolence! The beatings will continue until morale improves!