Texas voters broadly support funding community colleges to meet the state’s workforce needs, with young Texans expressing the strongest support.
Support reaches across the electorate
Texas 2036’s 10th Texas Voter Poll finds that 74% of voters would be more likely to support a candidate who backs this funding, including 41% who would be much more likely.
Republican-leaning voters, Democratic-leaning voters and persuadable voters in the middle all respond positively to candidates who support funding community colleges to meet workforce needs.
But one group stands out: young Texans.
Young Texans feel most strongly
Among voters under 35, 48% say they would be much more likely to support a candidate who backs funding community colleges to meet workforce needs. That is the highest share of any age group. Among other major age groups, the share saying much more likely ranges from 36% to 43%.
Young Texans are among those closest to the education and workforce pathways community colleges provide. Many are making decisions about college, training and careers now, or have recent experience with community colleges through dual credit.
Texas has changed how it funds community colleges
The poll comes as Texas continues implementing a major shift in how the state funds its community colleges. In 2023, lawmakers passed House Bill 8, moving Texas away from a system driven largely by enrollment and toward one based primarily on student outcomes and aligned with state and regional workforce needs.
Texas 2036 has supported that shift and continued to focus on outcomes that have proven workforce value.
The state has made a significant investment in tying community college funding to student success and workforce value. These results suggest that the broader goal behind that work resonates with voters, particularly with younger Texans who are making or have recently made decisions about college, training and careers.
The 10th Texas Voter Poll was conducted Aug. 22–26, 2026, by Baselice & Associates for Texas 2036, consisting of 1,369 completed interviews with registered Texas voters. Results were weighted to represent registered Texas voters statewide with an effective sample size after weighting of 1,001. Margin of sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points.
