Here’s what the post-Roe polling says about voters’ top issue

Few individual news events have the power to singlehandedly rearrange voters’ electoral priorities. But if anything held that possibility, it might have been the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. …

What voters care about, and how those priorities influence their decisions, is too complicated to be fully captured in a single poll question. The degree to which voters personally care about an issue is different from the question of whether that issue will be decisive in an election, either by motivating someone to vote when they wouldn’t have otherwise, or by convincing them to vote for a different candidate than they would have otherwise. But comparing the answers to different questions can provide a broader, more nuanced, picture.

Here’s a look at several ways pollsters ask about election issues, what they can — and can’t — tell us about public opinion, and what some early data might suggest about how the aftermath of the Roe decision has played out so far. CONTINUED

Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN


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Q&A: Author Elliott Morris on Public Opinion Polling in the United States and Its Role in Our Democracy

Data journalist Elliott Morris, U.S. correspondent for The Economist, talked about the history of political polling in the United States going back to the 19th century and the development and use of polling since then. He is the author of Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them.

C-SPAN


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Biden’s age isn’t his problem

At 79, Joe Biden is the oldest president in American history. Eighteen months into his term, the burdens of governing have staggered him.

And to hear recent political chatter, you might consider those two facts directly related. Adversaries cast Biden as too feeble for the demands of the Oval Office; allies have begun nudging him toward retirement.

Yet that represents Republican opportunism and Democratic nervousness before November’s elections rather than any plausible assessment of cause and effect. Without doubt, Biden’s age complicates his hopes of winning another term. It has nothing to do with his problems in this one.

Consider the problems, which began to mushroom a year ago when most Americans still approved his job performance. CONTINUED

John Harwood, CNN


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Voters of color are backing the GOP at historic levels

… All you have to do is turn on the political news to see that we are a country where political tribalism is high. Political science tells us that congressional polarization, for instance, is at its highest level since the 19th century.

But while Democrats and Republicans may be further apart on policy than any of us can remember, that breakdown is not occurring along racial and gender lines as much as you might think. CONTINUED

Harry Enten, CNN


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Fox News Poll: Over 8 in 10 say Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is a problem

Over half of voters don’t like how President Biden is handling the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, and an overwhelming majority is troubled by the country’s human rights record. …

Meanwhile, more than half disapprove of the job Biden is doing on energy policy (57%), and say they have changed their summer travel plans because of gas prices (52%). …

More Democrats than Republicans are comfortable buying oil from Venezuela (by 30 points), Saudi Arabia (+19), and Canada (+16). There is bipartisan discomfort with Russian oil. CONTINUED

Dana Blanton, Fox News


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Fox News Poll: Support for abortion depends on circumstance and timing

Almost a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a new Fox News survey finds a majority disagrees with the ruling. At the same time, overall views on the legality of abortion vary by situation and trimester.

The national poll of registered voters, released Sunday and conducted after President Biden signed an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care services, finds 61% against the demise of Roe. That includes majorities of Democrats (83%) and independents (67%). Just 36% of Republicans oppose overturning the case.

Overall, 35% of voters support the reversal of Roe. CONTINUED

Victoria Balara, Fox News


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