Our separate surveys of business leaders and the general public reveal opinions on . . . the Jones Act . . . conducted in April: the BOSS Survey of 404 business executives and the 808 Poll of 482 members of the general public.
Jones Act
We explored opinions on the federal Jones Act, which has been a subject of political and economic debate in Hawai‘i for decades.
Each respondent was presented with the following statement:
The Jones Act restricts shipping between the U.S. and Hawai‘i to U.S.-owned and -operated companies using American-built ships and American crews.
Research respondents were then asked if they were familiar with this law.
Business Executives
General Public
Some percentages do not add to 100 due to rounding
Among the general public:
More men (46%) than women (29%) said they had heard of the Jones Act before taking part in the survey.
Awareness of the Jones Act was higher among more educated and more affluent groups. For example, among those with a college degree, 46% had heard of the Jones Act beforehand, but only 28% of those without a college degree.
Next, those respondents in both surveys who were familiar with the Jones Act were asked for their opinions on its future. Should it be:
Business Executives
- Scrapped: 33%
- Modified: 49%
- Remain the Same: 12%
- DK/DA: 7%
General Public
- Scrapped: 33%
- Modified: 52%
- Remain the Same: 15%
- DK/DA: 0%
*DK/DA: Didn’t know or didn’t answer
The results indicate that the vast majority of Hawai‘i residents who knew about the Jones Act in advance would like it changed or ended.