Majority of IL voters want Bears to stay in state, but not with taxpayer money, poll finds
CHICAGO - A majority of Illinois voters said it’s important to them that the Chicago Bears stay in the state, but also rejected the use of public funds to help build a new stadium for the team.
By the numbers:
The poll found that 58% of respondents said it was either "very important" or "somewhat important" that the Bears continue to play their home games in Illinois, while 42% said it was either "not too important" or "not at all important" that they remain.
A second question asked if the respondents would support or oppose using public funding to help build a new stadium for the Bears in the state. More than half, 58%, said they either somewhat or strongly opposed that idea. About 32% said they either strongly or somewhat supported using public funds, and nearly 10% were unsure.
Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, which conducted the survey, pointed out that young people were especially supportive of the Bears staying in state. He said 79% of respondents under the age of 30 said it was important for them for the team to stay, compared to 52% of those over 70.
The poll was conducted by Emerson College and WGN-TV earlier this month of 1,000 likely voters in the Illinois primary election.
The backstory:
The findings come as the Bears continue to pursue a new stadium deal, even outside of Illinois, as state lawmakers have resisted lobbying from the team to secure legislation that would allow for construction in suburban Arlington Heights.
That led to Bears President Kevin Warren saying late last year the team would look at other locations, including outside the state.
While the Bears' leadership said they planned to not use taxpayer funds to build the actual stadium, they did plan on requesting public money for infrastructure improvements around the new structure. Gov. JB Pritzker has been open to that idea, saying so as late as Tuesday.
The team did want state lawmakers to pass a bill that would have allowed them to negotiate their property tax liability with local taxing bodies, but the General Assembly did not take it up last year.
This year, prospects for movement on such legislation don’t look so bright either.
Just this month, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch said discussions about helping the Bears pass the legislation were "insensitive" when voters and lawmakers were more focused on tackling the rising cost of living.
Just over the weekend, while the Bears were getting ready to take on the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round at Soldier Field, a fan spotted Warren, team Chairman George McCaskey, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the Arlington Park site the team purchased in 2023 with hopes of building a new domed stadium there.
A source close to the stadium planning told Fox Chicago’s Paris Schutz that Goodell also visited potential stadium sites in Northwest Indiana, where state lawmakers have voiced enthusiasm for luring the Bears away from Illinois.