… On issues like gun control and immigration, intensity matters more than numbers. Politicians don’t just look at polls. They pay attention to how many votes the issue drives on each side. If the minority votes the issue and the majority doesn’t, the minority prevails. [cont.] Bill Schneider, George Mason […] Read more »
Men, Married, Southerners Most Likely to Be Gun Owners
Men are three times more likely than women to personally own guns, representing one of the largest demographic differences in gun ownership, according to an analysis of Gallup polls from 2007 to 2012. Gun ownership also varies significantly by region, with Southerners more likely to own guns than those living […] Read more »
Majority supports measures aimed at curbing gun violence
A majority of Americans support an array of proposals aimed at reducing gun violence, even while the overall question of gun control remains markedly divisive, according to a new University of Connecticut/Hartford Courant poll. The survey found that majorities favor a reinstated ban on assault-style weapons; requiring background checks for […] Read more »
Party Views Diverge Most on U.S. Gun Policies
Of 17 U.S. policy areas, gun laws spark the greatest difference between Republicans and Democrats in terms of their satisfaction with the nation’s policies in each area. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans and 28% of Democrats are satisfied with U.S. gun laws, a difference of 31 percentage points. U.S. policies on […] Read more »
How the fate of gun control is tied to presidential popularity
Want to know how people feel about President Obama’s gun control plan? Simply ask whether they approve or disapprove of how the president and his administration are doing their job. The two questions are nearly perfectly linked, and that could have major consequences for the future of gun control legislation. […] Read more »
Republicans are open to gun control. But not President Obama’s gun control plan
A slight majority of Americans give positive marks to new gun control proposals put forward by President Obama but Republicans have also rallied in opposition to the plan, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Overall, 53 percent of the public carries a favorable impression of Obama’s proposals while […] Read more »