Few Americans Want to Leave Confederate Monuments as They Are, but Divides Over Solutions Persist

· Leave a Comment

A new national survey conducted jointly by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and E Pluribus Unum finds nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%), including 89% of Democrats, 75% of independents, and 51% of Republicans, support doing something about existing Confederate memorials and statues in public spaces—whether that’s re-contextualizing them with information about the history of slavery and racism, moving them to a museum, or destroying them—rather than leaving them as they are.

The study provides important new insights into how Americans view Confederate monuments, their attitudes toward creating inclusive public spaces, and their beliefs about the role of race and racism in America. CONTINUED

Public Religion Research Institute

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Majority of Americans Believe Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage Should be Guaranteed Rights

· Leave a Comment

In the wake of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, 69% of Americans believe the option of having an abortion before the 15th week of pregnancy should be a guaranteed right, according to the newest edition of the Grinnell College National Poll. The results of the poll, conducted Sept. 20 – 25, 2022, by Selzer & Company in partnership with Grinnell College, were released on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.

Nearly half (49%) of Republicans share this belief, along with 89% of Democrats and 69% of independents. Additionally, 50% of those identifying as Evangelicals support abortion as a right. CONTINUED

Grinnell College National Poll

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Arizona: Kelly Up in Senate Race, Hobbs and Lake in Tight Governor’s Race

· Leave a Comment

Democrat Mark Kelly is ahead of Republican Blake Masters among Arizona registered voters in the state’s U.S. Senate race. Kelly’s lead narrows among those who say they definitely plan to vote. In Arizona’s gubernatorial contest, only one point separates Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs among the statewide electorate. Among those who say they will definitely vote in November’s elections, Lake edges Hobbs.

President Joe Biden’s job approval rating stands at 39% among Arizonans. 54% disapprove. Arizona residents are more than twice as likely to strongly disapprove (46%) than to strongly approve (18%) of Biden’s job performance. CONTINUED

Marist College Institute for Public Opinion

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Are Political Winds Blowing in Republicans’ Favor Again?

· Leave a Comment

For most of the summer, President Biden and the Democrats had the political winds at their backs.

They saw their poll numbers rise as gas prices fell, as the Supreme Court refocused voters on abortion, and as the Jan. 6 hearings and the investigation into Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents turned the media’s attention toward an unpopular former president — rather than the current one.

But with six weeks until this November’s midterm elections, there are a few signs that the political winds may have begun to blow in a different direction — one that might help Republicans over the final stretch. The political spotlight may be drifting back toward issues where Republicans have an advantage, like the economy and immigration. CONTINUED

Nate Cohn, New York Times

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Faith in American System Recovers After Summer Jan. 6 Hearings

· Leave a Comment

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack heads into its final stages without showing much impact on overall public opinion. About 4 in 10 Americans feel former President Donald Trump was directly responsible for what happened at the U.S. Capitol that day, while 3 in 10 continue to believe that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was fraudulent. The Monmouth University Poll finds a majority of the public wants the committee to resume public hearings, but they also prefer to see the investigation wrap up soon. The poll also finds that faith in our system of government has rebounded from its low point in June, although it is not clear whether the hearings themselves have helped or hurt the nation – or had no impact at all. CONTINUED

Monmouth University Polling Institute

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Why we can’t figure out the Hispanic vote

· Leave a Comment

Hispanic voters could easily be the x-factor that determines whether Democrats or Republicans hold Congress in November. In 2020, a rightward shift among some Hispanics—most notably in South Texas and Florida—resulted in a few surprise congressional wins for Republicans and stronger-than-expected support for then-President Trump. In general, the 2020 trend doesn’t seem to be reversing. Trouble is, no one seems to agree on whether it’s accelerating or leveling off.

Why don’t we know more? Two reasons: First, the entire political field tends to treat Hispanics as if they are a monolithic ethnic group that is attitudinally the same across the country—and they are not; secondly, public political surveys in the media often don’t have large enough samples of Hispanics to be able to definitively say where they fall in elections. CONTINUED

Natalie Jackson, National Journal

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack