A new poll by Zogby International finds that 84% of Ohioans think that credit decisions should be left to the individual while only 17% think the government should be involved.  From the news release:

Only one respondent – or 0.2% of the sample – said they think the state lawmakers should concentrate most on dealing with the payday loan industry – this despite widespread awareness of the effort now underway at the state capital to ban payday loans in Ohio. Nearly seven in 10 poll respondents – 68% – said they have heard something about that effort on at least a bi-weekly basis. Another 30% said they had never heard of the effort.

The telephone survey also shows wide support for the payday loan industry and for freedom for Ohioans in making decisions about their personal finances. A huge majority – 84% – said they believe the individual citizen should be free to make their own decisions about what kind of credit they can use, and 70% said the government should not be in the business of telling adults who have bank accounts that they cannot get a payday loan if, in their own opinion, people feel that payday loans are the best option for them.

Since the editorial board at the Cleveland Plain Dealer is so concernced about what Ohioans think, and the Zogby Poll provides definitive evidence of Ohioans’ thinking, the Payday Pundit expects an editorial from the paper urging legislators to leave credit decisions to individuals.  But, we won’t hold our breath.