May 16, 2014 - Ohio Voters Oppose Unions For College Athletes, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Slight Tilt In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage PDF format Ohio voters oppose 55 - 38 percent allowing college athletes to form a union to negotiate their rights and working conditions, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. By a larger 62 - 32 percent margin, voters oppose paying salaries to college athletes, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Unions in general are good for the country, voters say 52 - 40 percent. And 64 percent of voters, including 68 percent of men and 60 percent of women, are college sports fans. But 55 percent of voters say "colleges are losing sight of their academic mission because of sports," while 37 percent say "colleges are balancing their academic mission and sports appropriately." Men, women and all other groups agree by similar margins. Men oppose college athlete unions 58 - 37 percent, with women opposed 52 - 40 percent. The only listed groups supporting the idea are Democrats, 56 - 37 percent, and voters 18 to 34 years old, 63 - 35 percent. "Ohioans may love their Buckeyes, and they have a favorable view of unions, but they don't think the two should meet," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Only Democrats and voters under 35 favor allowing college athletes to unionize. But not even they support the idea of college athletes receiving salaries in addition to the value of their scholarships. A majority think colleges are losing sight of their academic mission with the emphasis on athletics, but don't expect any empty seats in the 'Horseshoe' in the fall." Ohio voters support 50 - 43 percent allowing same-sex couples to marry. There are wide gender and age gaps as 44 percent of men support same-sex marriage while 48 percent are opposed. Women support it 56 - 39 percent. Voters 18 to 34 years old support same-sex marriage 72 - 24 percent. Support drops to 52 - 43 percent among voters 35 to 54 years old. Voters over 55 oppose same-sex marriage 52 - 40 percent. Support is 74 - 23 percent among Democrats, dropping to a narrow 49 - 43 percent among independent voters, with Republicans opposed 66 - 27 percent. "The future of same-sex marriage in Ohio is now before the courts, but if it were up to voters, the issue would be close to a tossup, with support just hitting 50 percent," Brown said. "There is a direct correlation between age and views of gay marriage and the partisan split is stark with Democrats strongly in favor and Republicans adamantly opposed." From May 7 - 12, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,174 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 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, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research. For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 43. Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Legal all cases 19% 8% 31% 18% 16% 22% 18% 21% 19% Legal most cases 30 22 39 31 34 27 31 30 31 Illegal most cases 29 42 11 35 33 26 30 32 27 Illegal all cases 15 23 12 9 10 19 16 12 15 DK/NA 7 6 7 7 8 7 5 5 9 TREND: Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases? May 16 Feb 24 Jan 19 2014 2014 2012 Legal all cases 19 19 17 Legal most cases 30 34 33 Illegal most cases 29 27 28 Illegal all cases 15 14 16 DK/NA 7 7 6 44. Do you support or oppose allowing same-sex couples to get married in Ohio? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Support 50% 27% 74% 49% 44% 56% 72% 52% 40% Oppose 43 66 23 43 48 39 24 43 52 DK/NA 6 7 3 8 7 6 4 6 8 TREND: Do you support or oppose allowing same-sex couples to get married in Ohio? May 16 Feb 24 2014 2014 Support 50 50 Oppose 43 44 DK/NA 6 5 47. In general, do you think labor unions are good or bad for the country? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Good 52% 30% 79% 50% 48% 57% 57% 49% 54% Bad 40 58 17 42 46 35 36 45 38 DK/NA 8 11 4 8 6 9 7 6 8 48. Do you consider yourself a fan of college sports, or not? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Yes 64% 72% 59% 62% 68% 60% 63% 64% 64% No 36 27 41 37 31 39 37 36 35 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 - 1 - - 2 49. Do you support or oppose allowing college athletes to form a union, to negotiate their rights and working conditions? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Support 38% 22% 56% 38% 37% 40% 63% 36% 30% Oppose 55 73 37 56 58 52 35 57 62 DK/NA 6 5 7 6 5 8 2 7 8 50. Beyond any scholarships they receive, do you support or oppose paying salaries to college athletes? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Support 32% 24% 43% 31% 35% 30% 34% 37% 28% Oppose 62 70 52 62 60 64 61 57 66 DK/NA 6 6 4 7 5 7 5 6 6 51. In general, do you think colleges are losing sight of their academic mission because of sports or do you think colleges are balancing their academic mission and sports appropriately? AGE IN YRS....... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 18-34 35-54 55+ Losing sight 55% 53% 53% 61% 57% 54% 52% 56% 57% Balancing 37 39 40 34 38 37 43 39 34 DK/NA 7 8 7 5 5 9 5 5 9 Demographic Summary Additional Crosstabs
