August 2, 2012 - Curb College Sports, Pennsylvanians Say Almost 2-1, Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times Poll Finds Word format Major colleges and universities should place less importance on their athletic programs, Pennsylvania adults say 60 - 33 percent, with a small gender gap, but a larger age difference, according to a Quinnipiac University/ CBS News/New York Times poll released today. NCAA penalties imposed on Penn State University for its handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal are too severe, 44 percent of Pennsylvania adults say, while 14 percent say they are not severe enough and 33 percent say they are appropriate. Pennsylvanians 18 to 34 years old are divided 49 - 47 percent on whether schools should place less emphasis on athletics, while people 35 to 54 years old support a cutback 64 - 32 percent and people over 55 support a cutback 64 - 28 percent. Parents of children under 18 years old support a cutback 65 - 32 percent. Looking at the NCAA penalties, 52 percent of people in households where someone has or is attending Penn State say the penalties are too severe, while 12 percent say they are not severe enough and 32 percent say they are about right. Findings are consistent among men and women, but there is a generation gap as 38 percent of people under 35 years old say the penalties are too severe, compared to 50 percent of people over 55 years old. "The Sandusky scandal casts a long shadow. By nearly two to one, Pennsylvanians say it's time to throttle back on high-powered college athletic programs," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Parents, perhaps paying the tuition bill, support a cutback more strongly than young people. "The NCAA smack down of Penn State goes too far, most Nittany Lions lovers feel," From July 24 - 30, Quinnipiac University, in cooperation with CBS News and The New York Times, surveyed 1,494 Pennsylvania adults with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent. For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or follow us on Twitter. 26. Do you think the penalties imposed by the NCAA on Penn State for its handling of the Sandusky scandal were appropriate, too severe, or not severe enough? ALL ADULTS......................................... AGE IN YEARS..... HAVE KIDS Tot Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ <18 Appropriate 33% 32% 34% 35% 33% 31% 41% Too severe 44 46 43 38 45 50 40 Not severe enough 14 14 14 18 15 11 13 DK/NA 8 7 9 10 7 8 7 COLLEGE DEG PennState Yes No HsHolds Q28/Q29 Appropriate 44% 30% 32% Too severe 42 45 52 Not severe enough 10 15 12 DK/NA 4 10 5 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Appropriate 39% 41% 32% 42% 32% 27% 26% Too severe 41 29 52 41 49 43 50 Not severe enough 13 19 7 13 13 22 14 DK/NA 7 11 8 5 6 8 10 27. Do you think that major colleges and universities should place less importance on their athletic programs or not? ALL ADULTS......................................... AGE IN YEARS..... HAVE KIDS Tot Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ <18 Yes/Less importance 60% 62% 58% 49% 64% 64% 65% No 33 33 34 47 32 28 32 DK/NA 6 5 8 4 5 9 3 COLLEGE DEG PennState Yes No HsHolds Q28/Q29 Yes/Less importance 70% 57% 62% No 26 36 33 DK/NA 4 7 5 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes/Less importance 66% 59% 56% 64% 64% 65% 54% No 29 34 35 33 29 29 38 DK/NA 5 8 9 3 7 6 8 28. Have you or has anyone in your family graduated from Penn State? ALL ADULTS......................................... AGE IN YEARS..... HAVE KIDS Tot Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ <18 Yes 24% 24% 25% 20% 23% 28% 23% No 76 76 75 80 77 72 77 DK/NA - - - - - - - COLLEGE DEG Yes No Yes 36% 20% No 64 80 DK/NA - - Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes 18% 14% 25% 27% 23% 22% 30% No 82 86 75 73 77 78 70 DK/NA - 1 - - - - - 29. Are you or is anyone in your family currently attending Penn State? ALL ADULTS......................................... AGE IN YEARS..... HAVE KIDS Tot Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ <18 Yes 6% 5% 8% 8% 6% 5% 8% No 94 95 92 92 93 95 92 DK/NA - - - - - - - COLLEGE DEG Yes No Yes 7% 6% No 93 94 DK/NA - - Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes 8% 11% 6% 3% 4% 8% 6% No 92 89 94 97 96 92 94 DK/NA - 1 - - - - - Demographic Summary
