New Mexico Legislative Issues: A Survey of AARP Members

The thoughts and attitudes of 987 of AARP's 239,427 members in New Mexico are explored in this 2004 mail survey. In general, members' legislative priorities are consistent with AARP's strategic priorities in New Mexico.

Specifically, members believe AARP should focus its legislative efforts toward availability, cost and quality of health care and long-term care services; access to affordable prescription drugs; availability of adequate water sources; preventing elder abuse; and measures that would enable them to remain in their own homes and communities as they age. For 63 percent of survey participants, the top legislative priority is the health care availability, cost and quality, as access to affordable prescription drugs is for 58 percent.

The survey also found considerable awareness of the dangers and consequences of the relatively new and burgeoning crime of identity theft. Among those responding...

• 87 percent are concerned about being victims of identity theft
• 95 percent believe it is important to provide identity theft victims with a formal legal mechanism for clearing their names from law enforcement records
• 88 percent believe it is important for the state to make it mandatory for police officers in an identity theft victim's home district to report, process and prosecute identity theft crimes, regardless of where the crimes occur
• 92 percent support the state enacting legislation that permits people to place a security freeze on their credit reports

The survey was conducted from June 25 through July 23, 2004, and the report prepared by Joanne Binette of AARP Knowledge Management who may be contacted at 202-434-6303 for further information. (35 pages)