2012 Simpson Survey

by POSC 285

Dr. Kedron Bardwell Mark Foster Joanna Freeland Aubrie Menghini Andres Calvopina

2012 Simpson Survey: Demographics

Sample Size: 563 students, 65 professors
Response rate: [40%] [67%]

Males were underrepresented, making up 34% of the survey respondents (females = 66%) Seniors made up 32% of the sample; first years & sophomores had lower response...

Partisan Affiliation
Students
29%

32% Republican 39% Independent Democrat

a plurality of Independents lean Democratic a 45/45 split, with 10% TRUE independents!

Partisan Affiliation
Faculty
9%

39%
63%

Republican Independent Democrat

an equal division of Independent leaners 75 to 20 Democratic advantage

Self-Identified Ideology
Students
8% 4% 24% 41% 23% Very Conservative Conservative Moderate

Self-identified Ideology
Faculty
0%
20% 12% 23% 45% Very Conservative Conservative Moderate Liberal

Very Liberal

about of Republican faculty are moderate

Republican Caucus-goers: Will they turn out to vote?

43% of students are Republican or lean R
40% of them claim to be VERY likely to caucus

43% say they are SOMEWHAT likely to do so

23% of professors are Republican or lean R Only 60% are VERY/SOMEWHAT likely to vote

Who Do G.O.P. Students Favor?

11% 10% 3% 14% OTHER

19%

14%

4%

27%

Nov. 2012: Presidential Race

70% of students say theyre VERY likely to vote 95% of faculty say they are VERY likely to vote STUDENTS: 22% intend to vote for Democrat 27% intend to vote for Republican 50% are UNDECIDED!!! FACULTY: 65% Democrat / 14% Republican 6% 3rd Party! / 15% UNDECIDED

Most Important Issue in 2012?

Overall, Americans say ECONOMY and JOBS are our biggest issues [Gallup, 2011] Simpson students and faculty (30%+) agree economy is the #1 issue facing U.S. today; BUT few say jobs Simpson students (23%) say debt, deficits and spending are big problems; only 6% of professors said this

Most Important Issue in 2012?

Many faculty say broken political system, corrupt politics is a big issue (18%)

Many professors say income inequality or poverty (12%) are most important issues; only 1% of Americans say so [Gallup, 2011]

Other Issues NOT as Important

Was the Iraq War a Mistake??

46% of students say it was the wrong decision; 54% of students say it was a good decision (2008: 68% of students said it was WRONG decision!!!)
83% of profs say it was wrong decision; while 17% say it was the right one Nationally, 54% say it was the wrong decision

Do you Trust the Government?

Students
Only 2% students said just about always, 32% said most of the time, 61% said some of time and 4% said never.

Faculty
A bit more trusting of govt. U.S. OVERALL = NO TRUST! (see yellow bar, below right)

100
80 60 40 20 0 Always Sometimes Never

How Bad is the U.S. Economy?

Nationally, Americans are VERY skeptical of the job market. More than 80% of them think this is a bad time to look for a job

97% of Simpson students rate the U.S. economy today fair or poor, and 100% of faculty agree
"There are American dreams that are being deferred and that are being denied because of the current economic climate. There is a devastating economic crisis that will become more and more difficult to contain with time." Pres. Obama, 2009

Political Knowledge
24% of students say they are NOT very well informed about politics, while 94% of professors say they are fairly to very well informed
12% of students (and 54 % of faculty) say they talk about American politics every day Meanwhile, 18% of students (and 88% of faculty) follow politics in the news media daily.

Political Involvement
34% of students and 57% of professors have attended a political rally.

10% of students 22% of faculty have volunteered for a political campaign.

65% of Simpson students and 70% of their professors have volunteered for a non-profit or charity organization.

What about Religion?

The Simpson community is similar to the U.S. public when it comes to believing in a Christian God, with 76% believing -- compared to 80% nationally [Gallup, 2011] Over half of students are Mainline Protestant and 40% of faculty are. In comparison, among the U.S. public Evangelical (26%) and Catholic (over 20%) are the largest groups [Pew Forum, 2011]

Same Sex Marriage in Iowa??

Iowans: 38 percent oppose an amendment banning gay marriage, 35 percent favor it. Simpson 2012: 65% of students and 86% of faculty oppose an amendment banning gay marriage in Iowa. Simpson students and faculty overwhelmingly say the Iowa Supreme Court justices should not have been removed (73 percent and 89 percent, respectively).

Tolerance: Do you View these Groups Favorably/Unfavorably?

Gays/lesbians, Mormons, Atheists, Evangelicals, Muslims
Group viewed most favorably: gays/lesbians
Students least favored group: Atheists (31% unfavorable) Facultys least favored group: Evangelicals (48% unfavorable) Group with highest percentage of uncertainty, i.e. Dont Know/No Opinion: Mormons

Occupy Wall Street Movement

According to a Gallup poll, 63% stated do not know

Among Simpson students in our 2012 survey, about 48% stated do not know
Faculty at Simpson record a 52% rate of support (15% showing strong support!!)

Tea Party Movement

28% of Americans consider themselves strong opponents of the Tea Party...

Simpson faculty: 62% state they oppose the movement. Simpson students and the US public both record high rate of no opinion/dont know

(students: 59%, US public: 42%)

Path to Citizenship and Birthright Citizenship

National opinion of creating a path to citizenship is 64 percent in favor. Simpson faculty overwhelmingly support or strongly support a path to citizenship (89.3%) Among the students, support for a path to citizenship was 41%, with 26.3% opposed. Birthright citizenship: students: 40.3% stated that they oppose repeal, and 47.7% of faculty strongly oppose repeal (88% total)

Addressing the Debt:

5%

Address debt: students

12% 32% increase tax cut fed. Spending 50/50 mix 51% Don't know/no op

Simpson students and faculty think the best way to address the federal debt is a 50/50 mix of tax increases and cutting federal spending Nationwide polls shows a similar opinion, with 60.4% of people agreeing with a combination of tax increases and cut of federal spending.

2%

Address debt: faculty

18%

increase tax

12% 68%

cut fed. Spending 50/50 mix

Don't know/no op.

What to do about income taxes: students

12% 18% Flat tax Progressive income tax 70% Don't Know/No op.

Income Taxes
A clear majority of Simpson College things the current progressive income tax should be kept (69.7% students, 79.7% faculty). Nationwide, opinions are more closely divided with 56% supporting the current model and 40% supporting a flat tax model.

1%

What to do about income taxes: faculty

19% Flat tax Prograssive income tax 80% Don't know/No opinion

1%

3%

What to do about income taxes: NBC/ Wall Street Journal Poll

Flat Tax
40% Graduated income tax Both equal Unsure

56%

13%

U.S. foreign policy: students 18%

Highly involved in world affairs
Focus more on problems at home

Foreign Policy
There is a difference of opinions between students and faculty: only 18.4% of students think the US should be involved in world affairs, while 50.8% of faculty said it should. Nationwide there is even less interest in foreign policy with only 9% of respondents saying the President should focus on foreign policy.

69%

6%

U.S. foreign policy: faculty

Highly involved in world affairs

43%

51%

Focus more on problems at home Don't know/No op.

5% 1% 9%

Which is more important for President to focus on: Pew Research Center 9%
Foreign Policy Domestic policy

76%

Neither

State Restrictions/Limits on Abortion

Students opinions are equally divided among those who agree and those who disagree with state restrictions/ limits on abortion (44.5% and 43.3% respectively). Faculty, on the other hand is a lot more liberal, with only 23.1% agreeing with state restrictions/limits and 73.8% disagreeing.
Favor Increased state restrictions/limits on abortion:students
20% 19% Strongly Agree Agree 23% 26% No opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree 12% 25% 49% 17% Strongly Agree

6%

Favor Increased state restrictions/limits on abortion:faculty

3%

Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree

Global Warming
A majority of students and faculty think global warming is a significant international problem with faculty agreeing a lot more (61.7% and 90.6% respectively).
Think global warming is a significant international issue: students
9% 13% 33% Strongly Agree Agree No opinion 21% 24% Disagree Strongly Disagree 66% 25%

1% 3% 5%

Think global warming is a significant international issue: faculty

Strongly Agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree

Marijuana Legalization?
Simpson faculty is a lot more supportive of marijuana legalization (66.2%) vs. the students (34.3%)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ANY QUESTIONS?