Broad support, but less hope for tighter U.S. gun laws

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Most Americans support stronger gun laws but are less confident that lawmakers will take action in the wake of a spate of mass shootings, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. The poll of 940 Americans was conducted one day after a Texas gunman killed 19 students and two teachers, and less than two weeks after an avowed white supremacist killed 10 people at a supermarket in a mostly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. CONTINUED

Reuters

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Americans’ Recent Attitudes Toward Guns

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As Americans are reeling from two mass shootings that have occurred within 10 days of each other in the U.S., an intense gun control debate has reignited across the country. …

Gallup’s most recent polling about guns was conducted in October 2021 and January 2022. Both polls found a slight decrease in support for stricter gun laws compared with the prior year’s measures. Typically, Americans’ support for stricter gun laws has risen in the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings and fallen during periods without such events. Additionally, changes in the party of the president may also influence preferences for gun laws.

Here are some key takeaways from recent polling. CONTINUED

Megan Brenan, Gallup

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Redistricting: The Overall Picture, Plus a Look at NY and MO

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Key Points
• With the national House map nearly complete, it appears that the overall map still leans toward Republicans.
• However, this GOP bias is not nearly as strong as it was a decade ago.
• We rate and analyze the new Missouri and New York congressional maps. CONTINUED

Kyle Kondik & J. Miles Coleman, Sabato’s Crystal Ball

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California: Most Voters Say ‘We Know Best’

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Most California voters express confidence in their collective wisdom when it comes to making public policy at the ballot box. They are also firm in their belief that voters’ past decisions on a range of initiatives have had good outcomes. These May PPIC Survey findings come at a time when voters ponder their 2022 election choices and legislators weigh the potential of ballot measures that would alter voters’ past decisions. Our findings underscore the political perils of efforts to change course on citizens’ initiatives that have already passed.

First and foremost, a majority of California likely voters (55%) think that public policy decisions made through the citizens’ initiative process are “probably better” than those made by the governor and state legislature. CONTINUED

Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California

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Californians and Their Government

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Every California voter has received a June 7 primary ballot in the mail and they have been weighing their election choices in the midst of disturbing news and unsettling circumstances. Inflation continues to take a daily toll on consumers and dampens their economic outlook. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned into a deadly and protracted military conflict. The latest omicron variant is resulting in yet another surge in COVID cases. And Californians are being asked to conserve water in response to the drought while bracing themselves for wildfire season. The one bright spot is Governor Newsom’s May revision, which includes a record-setting surplus of revenues available for the state budget.

These are among the key findings of a statewide survey on state and national issues that was conducted from May 12 to 22 by the Public Policy Institute of California. CONTINUED

Public Policy Institute of California

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Ipsos Core Political: President Biden’s lowest approval rating yet

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This week’s Ipsos’ Core Political has President Joe Biden with his lowest approval rating yet (36%) as the majority of Americans (70%) believe the country is off on the wrong track.

Seven in 10 (70%) Americans believe things in this country are off on the wrong track, while only one-fifth (20%) of Americans believe they are headed in the right direction. This represents a six-point drop from a couple of weeks ago when 26% of Americans thought they were headed in the right direction. …

Only 36% of Americans approve of his performance in office, a six-point drop from last week (42%). CONTINUED

Ipsos

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