March 31, 2011 - U.S. Voters Back Women In Combat More Than 2-1, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Voters Back Offshore Drilling, Not Strategic Reserve Word format American voters support 67 - 29 percent allowing women "to serve in ground units that engage in close combat," with voters in military households supporting the move 61 - 36 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. There is no gender gap as men support women in combat 69 - 29 percent and women support it 66 - 29 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. Support ranges from 81 - 17 percent among voters 18 - 34 years old to 55 - 38 percent among voters over 55 years old. On energy policy, American voters: Support by a narrow 48 - 45 percent building new nuclear plants, but oppose 58 - 38 percent building new plants in their town or city; Support 67 - 28 percent new offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico; Oppose 56 - 38 percent releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. "Americans have become accustomed to women in the armed forces, and apparently are ready for them to serve in combat units. It will be interesting to see how the public feels if, God forbid, there is combat with large numbers of women casualties," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Some might find it surprising that despite the spike in gasoline prices American voters don't think tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a smart idea. They apparently are buying the argument that the current situation is not so serious that the big pool of petroleum the country has set aside for emergencies should be used. And there is strong support for lifting the ban on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico." By a narrow 40 - 37 percent margin, American voters would vote for a Republican rather than a Democrat in the 2012 congressional elections. Another 20 percent are undecided. The GOP lead in the generic ballot stems from its 36 - 27 percent margin among independent voters, whose strong swing to the GOP in 2010 was a major reason for the Republican landslide. The three-point GOP lead in the 2012 ballot comes along with a slightly higher - although still strongly negative - rating for Republicans in Congress: Voters disapprove 55 - 34 percent of the job Republicans are doing and disapprove 58 - 31 percent of the job Democrats are doing. "We have a long way to go and the wrangling over the federal budget and possible government shutdown certainly will have an unknown effect on public opinion. But at this point the Republicans are doing slightly better on the generic congressional ballot," Brown said. There is no partisan split on the petroleum reserve issue with 54 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independent voters against tapping the reserve. On nuclear power, 25 percent of voters are "very concerned" that the United States could have a nuclear crisis similar to what occurred in Japan; 37 percent are "somewhat concerned;" 24 percent are "not very concerned" and 13 percent are "not at all concerned." "The thing that comes through on nuclear power is the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) effect is alive and well in public opinion," said Brown. Voters oppose 52 - 34 percent cutting federal funding to National Public Radio. Republicans support a cutoff 44 - 38 percent. Backing NPR are Democrats 69 - 20 percent and independent voters 48 - 37 percent. Men oppose the cutoff 50 - 40 percent and women oppose the idea 53 - 28 percent. In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, 47 percent of voters say the economy is the most important problem facing the nation today, followed by 13 percent who cite the budget, with 6 percent each for "war," "healthcare" and "politicians." From March 22 - 28, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,069 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 2. If the 2012 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for the Republican candidate, or the Democratic candidate in your district? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Republican 40% 86% 3% 36% 44% 36% 45% 8% Democrat 37 1 87 27 34 40 31 85 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 - 4 2 2 2 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - - 2 1 1 1 1 DK/NA 20 12 9 31 18 22 21 6 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Republican 36% 41% 42% 35% 44% 48% 12% 29% 65% Democrat 42 35 36 40 37 37 76 41 16 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 3 2 2 2 3 1 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 - 1 - - - - 1 DK/NA 20 20 19 22 17 13 11 27 17 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Republican 30% 40% 41% 61% 56% 45% Democrat 50 35 42 19 23 30 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 3 1 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 1 - - 1 DK/NA 18 22 14 19 18 23 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 31% 11% 62% 24% 28% 34% 27% 60% Disapprove 58 81 28 66 64 53 63 24 DK/NA 11 9 10 11 8 13 10 17 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Approve 39% 31% 26% 33% 29% 29% 58% 30% 19% Disapprove 47 60 64 53 64 66 34 56 73 DK/NA 13 9 10 14 7 6 8 14 8 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Approve 36% 30% 34% 19% 21% 29% Disapprove 55 58 58 74 70 61 DK/NA 9 12 7 7 9 10 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? APPROVE....... High Low Mar 31 Mar 03 Jan 18 Nov 17 Sep 09 Mar 4 Nov 17 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 2009 2010 Approve 31 33 33 27 30 45 27 Disapprove 58 57 58 66 60 45 66 DK/NA 11 10 9 7 10 10 7 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 34% 57% 18% 32% 34% 34% 35% 23% Disapprove 55 32 74 58 58 53 55 61 DK/NA 11 11 8 11 8 13 10 16 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Approve 38% 34% 30% 33% 32% 39% 20% 27% 47% Disapprove 51 56 59 55 59 55 75 62 42 DK/NA 11 10 11 12 9 6 5 12 11 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Approve 28% 36% 30% 45% 39% 35% Disapprove 64 53 62 46 50 51 DK/NA 7 11 9 9 11 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? (*High also 34 Mar 03, 2011 & Mar 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Mar 31 Mar 03 Jan 18 Nov 17 Sep 09 Mar 31 Oct 08 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 2011* 2009 Approve 34 34 30 27 29 34 25 Disapprove 55 54 57 63 59 55 64 DK/NA 11 12 13 10 12 11 11 7. What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today? Tot Economy Total 47% Economy general 16 Unemployment/jobs 26 Stock market 1 Cost of living 3 Business leaving/ Outsourcing 1 Budget Total 13% Budget general 2 Budget deficits 6 Gov too big/Gov spending 3 Budget priorities 1 Budget other 1 Healthcare Total 6% Healthcare/Costs/ Ins/HMO's 5 Healthcare other 1 Politicians Total 6% Politicians/ Campaigns general 2 Political corruption 1 Obama administration 2 Politicians/Campaigns other 1 War total 6% War general 4 War/Other 2 Energy crisis/Gas prices Total 4% Energy costs/Crisis general 1 Gas prices 3 Education Total 3% Education general 1 Education other 2 Foreign Affairs Total 3% Foreign affairs/ policy general 1 Priorities s/b at home, not abroad 1 Foreign affairs/policy other 1 Lack of ethics/Morality 2% Crime general 1% Lack of religion 1% Abortion 1% Immigration 1% Terrorism general 1% Other 3% DK/NA 3% 16. Do you support or oppose cutting off federal government funding to NPR, National Public Radio? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 34% 44% 20% 37% 40% 28% 36% 27% Oppose 52 38 69 48 50 53 49 60 DK/NA 14 17 11 15 10 19 15 12 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 27% 37% 36% 30% 37% 40% 16% 25% 50% Oppose 54 53 49 51 53 54 75 58 34 DK/NA 19 10 15 18 10 6 9 16 15 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Support 33% 34% 33% 44% 40% 36% Oppose 52 49 59 38 43 50 DK/NA 15 17 7 18 18 13 TREND: Do you support or oppose cutting off federal government funding to NPR, National Public Radio? Mar 31 Mar 03 2011 2011 Support 34 40 Oppose 52 49 DK/NA 14 11 17. As you may know, after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government banned new offshore drilling projects until new safety regulations could be put in place. The federal government has lifted the ban and is allowing new offshore drilling projects. Do you support or oppose allowing new offshore drilling to resume? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 67% 86% 52% 69% 75% 60% 69% 58% Oppose 28 11 44 27 23 34 27 38 DK/NA 4 3 5 4 2 7 4 4 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 63% 70% 67% 64% 68% 74% 37% 67% 83% Oppose 34 28 26 32 30 25 58 29 15 DK/NA 4 2 8 5 3 2 5 4 2 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Support 62% 69% 62% 78% 76% 68% Oppose 36 26 35 19 19 29 DK/NA 2 5 3 3 5 3 18. Do you think that the government is approving new offshore drilling permits too quickly, too slowly, or about right? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Too quickly 28% 14% 38% 30% 21% 35% 27% 34% Too slowly 26 41 13 26 30 22 29 12 About right 34 34 40 32 37 31 34 43 DK/NA 12 12 8 12 11 12 11 10 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Too quickly 37% 28% 22% 32% 26% 26% 53% 30% 16% Too slowly 18 28 30 22 29 34 9 19 42 About right 39 33 33 35 35 30 29 39 33 DK/NA 7 11 15 12 10 10 9 13 9 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Too quickly 33% 26% 34% 19% 20% 29% Too slowly 25 27 22 34 34 27 About right 33 35 31 36 34 36 DK/NA 9 11 13 11 12 8 19. To combat rising gasoline prices, some have urged President Obama to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the government's oil stockpile, set aside for emergencies and shortages. Some say that gasoline prices don't justify tapping the reserve at this time. Others say gas prices are high enough that the reserves should be used. Do you support or oppose releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 38% 38% 40% 37% 34% 42% 37% 53% Oppose 56 54 54 60 62 51 58 39 DK/NA 6 8 6 3 4 8 5 9 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 44% 35% 36% 46% 32% 26% 33% 40% 39% Oppose 53 59 57 47 65 70 61 57 55 DK/NA 3 6 7 7 3 4 6 3 7 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Support 47% 43% 26% 38% 37% 44% Oppose 48 51 70 54 56 54 DK/NA 6 6 4 8 8 2 20. The government is in the process of evaluating applications for building new nuclear power plants in the United States. Some say those applications shouldn't be approved because of safety concerns about nuclear power. Others say nuclear power plants can provide needed electric power safely. Do you support or oppose building new nuclear power plants in the United States? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 48% 58% 39% 49% 61% 36% 51% 33% Oppose 45 31 58 42 34 54 41 63 DK/NA 7 10 3 8 4 10 7 4 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 40% 50% 54% 42% 55% 61% 31% 47% 59% Oppose 52 45 39 52 40 34 65 47 32 DK/NA 8 5 7 6 5 5 4 6 8 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Support 47% 46% 56% 54% 54% 50% Oppose 47 46 39 36 36 43 DK/NA 6 8 5 10 9 7 21. Do you support or oppose building new nuclear power plants in your town or city? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 38% 47% 30% 40% 50% 27% 42% 22% Oppose 58 47 69 56 47 68 54 77 DK/NA 4 6 2 4 3 5 4 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 28% 42% 43% 33% 46% 47% 23% 38% 47% Oppose 66 56 52 64 51 49 76 59 49 DK/NA 6 2 5 3 2 4 2 3 4 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Support 37% 36% 44% 46% 45% 39% Oppose 61 59 53 49 50 57 DK/NA 2 4 3 5 5 4 22. Does the nuclear crisis in Japan make you less likely to support construction of more nuclear power plants in the United States or doesn't the nuclear crisis in Japan affect your opinion on the construction of more nuclear power plants? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes/Less likely 38% 33% 46% 35% 26% 49% 37% 43% No/No effect 57 61 50 60 69 46 58 48 DK/NA 5 6 4 5 5 6 4 9 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Yes/Less likely 36% 42% 36% 39% 40% 31% 47% 40% 32% No/No effect 61 54 57 55 57 67 49 56 64 DK/NA 3 4 8 6 3 3 4 4 5 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Yes/Less likely 43% 39% 36% 39% 36% 43% No/No effect 53 55 61 59 60 52 DK/NA 4 6 3 3 4 5 23. How concerned are you that there could be nuclear crisis in the United States similar to the one Japan has experienced recently -very concerned, somewhat concerned, not very concerned, or not at all concerned? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Very concerned 25% 18% 34% 21% 18% 31% 22% 44% Smwht concerned 37 34 37 39 34 40 38 33 Not very concerned 24 31 18 26 28 21 26 14 Not at all concerned 13 16 10 13 20 8 13 8 DK/NA 1 - 1 - - 1 1 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Very concerned 23% 25% 26% 28% 22% 17% 36% 23% 21% Smwht concerned 35 37 38 39 31 36 34 40 35 Not very concerned 29 24 22 20 32 29 19 24 28 Not at all concerned 14 13 14 13 15 19 10 12 16 DK/NA - 1 1 1 - - 1 - - EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Very concerned 23% 27% 21% 22% 21% 25% Smwht concerned 39 37 36 40 37 38 Not very concerned 22 23 29 25 27 24 Not at all concerned 16 13 15 12 13 13 DK/NA - 1 - - 1 - 24. Do you support or oppose allowing women in the military to serve in ground units that engage in close combat? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 67% 62% 73% 67% 69% 66% 68% 61% Oppose 29 35 21 30 29 29 28 32 DK/NA 4 3 7 3 3 5 4 7 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Support 81% 70% 55% 69% 73% 63% 79% 71% 58% Oppose 17 27 38 28 24 32 16 25 39 DK/NA 1 4 6 3 3 4 5 4 3 EDUCATION.... WHITE............. Union NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military HsHlds Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath HsHlds Support 70% 66% 70% 57% 61% 67% 61% Oppose 26 30 25 39 35 29 36 DK/NA 4 4 5 4 4 3 3
