Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.

A public opinion survey by a well-known Island pollster indicates that public esteem for the state Legislature has declined sharply this year.

The same poll shows these other attitudes among Hawaii’s residents:

» More than 45 percent of those polled believe Hawaii’s politicians are less honest than they were 10 years ago.

» Nearly 31 percent are opposed to virtually any form of gambling.

» Nearly 30 percent rate Hawaii’s school system as either "poor" or "very poor" while 41.4 percent rate the system as "average" and 25.6 percent rate the system as "excellent" or "good."

The poll was conducted by Public Affairs Advisory Services Inc., a firm headed by Daniel Tuttle, former University of Hawaii professor who is well known for his political surveys in Hawaii.

It was completed in late April, after the close of the 1979 legislative session and included 1,471 persons, all of whom are residents of Oahu. Tuttle said previous polls, conducted in 1977 and 1978, included residents of all counties, but the 1979 poll was based on a model designed to reflect statewide public opinion.

Of those who responded to the poll’s questions, 48.8 percent were male and 51.2 percent were female and the respondents ranged from 18 to 60 years of age across a broad range of Island ethnic backgrounds. …

Questioned as to their attitudes about gambling, the people polled indicated that many accept some form of "social gambling" but are opposed to such forms as pari-mutual betting and cockfighting. …

Tuttle noted that of the various forms of gambling noted in the question, horse racing is by far the most popular on a nationwide scale.

… Tuttle said the overall survey entails a potential margin of error of 3.8 percent, plus or minus.

He said some 400 copies of the survey are being distributed to "friends and clients" of Public Affairs Advisory Services, but added that the survey itself was not commissioned by any client.

"We try to do a survey like this every year, including anywhere from three to five key questions," Tuttle said.