In a state that heavily favored Donald Trump, a Vanderbilt University poll says optimism in Tennessee has grown about the future of the state and country since the spring.
The university's Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions poll says more than 8 in 10 registered Tennessee voters are optimistic about the state's future, versus fewer than 7 in 10 in May. And almost 6 in 10 were optimistic about the country's future, compared to 4 in 10 this spring.
The poll of more than 1,000 registered Tennessee voters was taken during a two week period following the November election with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
It also found 67 percent approved a 2-cent per-gallon gas tax hike, 55 percent favored an 8-cent increase, and 47 were fine with a 15-cent increase, consistent with last November.
