New Yorkers are more concerned about how Albany spends taxes than how much it taxes; New Yorkers favor shifting school funding to poor districts from wealthy ones, and think it’s more important for the government to preserve state services than pay down state debt, according to a new poll.

Shedding light on the competing interests of upstate and downstate residents, the poll found that New York City residents are much less concerned about taxes than they are about the quality of public education. Only 6% of respondents living in New York City said taxes were the most important thing that “a governor could do something about.” A third of those living in the Finger Lakes, Long Island, Western New York, Upper Hudson Valley, and Central New York picked taxes.

The poll was commissioned by New York Matters, a group founded by the Center for Governmental Research, and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

The two issues – education and taxes – have consumed Albany in recent months. Senate Republicans, who predominantly serve upstate areas, have pushed for a property tax rebate for homeowners. The Democrat-controlled Assembly sought to increase funding for New York City schools, which serve poorer students and do not perform as well as others in the state.

The poll also found that 68% of residents are more concerned about how taxes are spent, while 31% are more worried about the size of the burden. Almost 70% of those polled favored taking money from wealthy school districts and giving it to poorer ones – what some call the “Robin Hood” solution.