The Polling Center
The Institute of Government
Jackson State University
Winter 2016 -- FINAL
The Polling Center at Jackson State University’s Institute of Government needs your help. We are
conducting a survey of Americans on their opinions about the 2016 presidential election, issues
surrounding U.S. Constitutional liberties and protections, fears over crime and terrorism. Your
responses to this important online survey are strictly confidential. Thank you very much.
Screener
A. Are you currently a resident of the United States and 18 years of age and older?
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Yes (continues)
No (terminate)
Don’t know / Unsure (terminate)
B. What State do you live in?
[Enter state]
Election 2016
1. In political terms, which one of the following best describes how you typically vote?
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All Republican (Continue)
Mostly Republican (Continue)
Mostly Democratic (Go to Q6)
All Democratic (Go to Q6)
Independent – split vote between parties (Go to Q10)
Support some other party (Go to Q10)
Don’t know / not sure (Go to Q10)
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
1
(Q2, 3, 4, 5 for Republicans / Q1-01 in Question 1 ONLY)
Please think for a moment about the candidates and potential candidates running for the
Republican nomination to run for President in 2016. If the Republican primary for
president was held today, which of the following would you support for the Republican
nomination as your FIRST choice?
Republican Candidates
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Businessman Donald Trump
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick
Santorum
Ohio Governor John Kasich
Former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee
Dr. Ben Carson
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly
Fiorina
Unsure / Don’t Know / Someone else
2.FIRST
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3. And, which of the following best describes this decision. Would you say…
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Very firm – will not change my mind;
Somewhat firm – It would take an effort but I could possibly be convinced to
change my mind;
Not at all firm – I could easily be persuaded to support a different candidate;
Unsure
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
2
If the Republican primary for president was held today, which of the following would you
support for the Republican nomination as your SECOND and THIRD choices?
Republican Candidates
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Businessman Donald Trump
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick
Santorum
Ohio Governor John Kasich
Former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee
Dr. Ben Carson
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly
Fiorina
Unsure / Don’t Know / Someone else
4.SECOND 5.THIRD
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(Qs 6, 7, 8, 9 for Democrats / Q1-02 in Question 1 ONLY)
Please think for a moment about the list of candidates and potential candidates running for
the Democratic nomination to run for President in 2016. If the Democratic primary for
president was held today, which of the following would you support for the Democratic
nomination as your FIRSTchoice?
Democratic Candidates
Former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton
Former Maryland Governor Martin
O’Malley
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
Unsure / don’t know / someone else
6.FIRST
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7. And, which of the following best describes this decision. Would you say…
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Very firm – will not change my mind;
Somewhat firm – It would take an effort but I could possibly be convinced to
change my mind;
Not at all firm – I could easily be persuaded to support a different candidate;
Unsure
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
3
If the Democratic primary for president was held today, which of the following would you
support for the Democratic nomination as your SECOND and THIRD choices?
Democratic Candidates
Former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton
Former Maryland Governor Martin
O’Malley
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
Unsure / don’t know / someone else
8.SECOND 9.THIRD
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10. How likely are you to vote in the November 2016 general election? Would you say…
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Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Not at all likely
Don’t know / not sure
American Liberties / Protections
The following are a number of protections or liberties guaranteed to American citizens by
amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Please indicate, if you believe each to be very important,
somewhat important, somewhat unimportant or not at all important.
Liberty / Protection
11. Free exercise of religion
12. Freedom of speech
13. Freedom of the press
14. Freedom of assembly
15. Right to keep and bear
arms
16. Searches and seizures
by Court Warrant only
17. Right to a jury trial and
assistance of legal counsel
18. Allowing 18 year olds to
vote
Very
Somewhat Somewhat
Not at all Unsure
Important Important Unimportant Important
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JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
4
Some people have pride in number of characteristics of our nation, while others who don’t see
success in these areas may have less pride. Please describe how proud you are of the following
characteristics using a scale of one to ten where one means very proud and ten means not at all
proud.
American
Characteristics
19. The nation’s
religious diversity
20. The nation’s
accepting of and
respect for various
religions
21. The nation’s racial
diversity
22. Despite any
political differences,
having our first
African-American
President
23. The Klan, after
years of severe
targeting of blacks as
well as other
minorities, Catholics
and Jews, has all but
disappeared
Very
Proud
Not Unsure
at all
or
Proud N/A
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24. And regardless of your religious faith or following if any, would you say you believe in God, a
creator or another spiritual being?
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Yes
No
Unsure / don’t know
25. How religious would you say you are?
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Very religious
Somewhat religious
Not very religious
Not at all religious
Unsure / don’t know
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
5
The following are a number of statements about religion. For each, please indicate if you strongly
agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree.
Statement
Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly
Agree
Agree
Disagree Disagree
26. Religion and religious
faithful are under attack by
many in the media,
government, politics and
courts
27. I use my religious faith
when making voting decisions
28. Persecution of Christians
worldwide is on the increase
29. Based on all I know, I
would consider myself part of
the religious right or a believer
in the conservative aspects of
my own faith
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Unsure /
Not
Applicable
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30. How aware would you say you of Sharia Law within the Muslim/Islamic religion? Would you
say…
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Very aware
Somewhat aware
Somewhat unaware
Not at all aware
Unsure
31. Many Muslims favor making Sharia the official law in their respective countries. Which of the
following reflects your personal view of Sharia Law within the United States?
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Muslims should enjoy freedom of religion in the United States including abiding by
Sharia Laws over American Laws;
Muslims should enjoy freedom of religion in the United States excluding Sharia
Law and should abide by American Laws;
Islam and Sharia Law, with restrictions on women and an intrusive and strict system
of beliefs, has no place in the United States;
Unsure
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
6
A Climate of Fear
32. Related to acts of terror, compared to five years ago, how concerned are you for your own
safety and that of your family? Would you say…
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Significantly more concerned than five years ago;
Somewhat more concerned than five years ago;
Strongly concerned but the same as five years ago;
Minimally concerned and the same as five years ago;
Less concerned than five years ago; or
Significantly less concerned than five years ago.
Unsure
And, how concerned would you say you are about the following? Please use a scale of one to ten
where one is very concerned and ten is not at all concerned.
Characteristic
33. A mass
shooting or attack
34. Terrorism in
the U.S.
35. Crime in my
own community
or neighborhood
Very
Concerned
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Not at all Unsure
Concerned
or
N/A
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JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
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The following are a number of statements related to guns, crime, terrorism and safety. For each,
please indicate if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree.
Statement
36. Out of fear of profiling, I
would hesitate to report
suspicious behavior
37. I’m aware more Muslims are
killed by terrorism than any other
religious faith
38. Fear of terrorism is irrational
compared to numbers killed by
homicides or car accidents
39. New open carry laws, allowing
permitted citizens to carry
firearms openly, is a good idea
40. Armed professors and
students would help prevent on
campus attacks
41. Terrorists are succeeding in
creating a climate of fear in the
U.S.
42. The U.S. Government is well
informed and on top of terror
threats to our nation
43. The media hypes terror
attacks way out of proportion and
creates more fear than warranted
44. Mass shootings and the
horrific damage they cause would
be minimized with armed citizens
Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Unsure
Agree
Agree
Disagree Disagree
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45. Recently, schools in Los Angeles were closed based on an email terror threat. New York
received a similar terror threat, did not consider it credible, and opened schools as usual. Which of
the following best describes your belief about schools closings?
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Public schools should be closed whenever threatened out of an abundance of
caution;
Public schools should remain open unless and until designated law enforcement
professionals decide a threat is credible;
Unsure
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
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46. Do you currently have children living at home under 18 years of age who are old enough to be
aware of recent terrorist attacks in the United States and overseas?
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Yes (Continue)
No (Go to Q 50)
47. How would you describe any questions, concerns or fears about terrorism – domestic or foreign
your children have expressed to you? Would you say…
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Increased significantly over the past year
Increased somewhat over the past year
Does not appear to be a concern at this time
Unsure
48. Do you have a family Emergency Action Plan in place that your family is aware of in the event
of an emergency of any kind?
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Yes
No
Unsure
49. There are many criteria when selecting a college or university for your own children. For you,
and any of your children headed to college, how strongly will you consider campus security in your
selection process? Would you say…
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Very strongly consider
Somewhat strongly consider
A very minor consideration
Won’t consider it along with other criteria
Unsure
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
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Demographics
50. What is your age?
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18-44
45-64
65+
51. Are you Hispanic or Latino?
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Yes (Go to Q52)
No (Continue)
Don’t know / unsure (Continue)
52 Which one of these groups would you say best represents your race?
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White
Black or African-American
Asian
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
American Indian or Alaska Native
Other
53. What is your highest grade of school completed?
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Eighth grade or less
Some high school
High school graduate or GED
Some technical school
Technical school graduate
Some college
College graduate
Post-graduate or professional degree
54. Would you describe where you live most of the year as…
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Rural
Suburban
Urban
Unsure
55. Please indicate your gender.
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Male
Female
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
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56. Please tell me which religion you belong to or follow?
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Catholic
Protestant (Baptist, Lutheran, Congregational, Presbyterian)
Christian (non-denominational)
Greek Orthodox
Jewish
Buddhist
Muslim
Latter Day Saint / Mormon
Other
No preference / no religious affiliation
Don’t know / not sure
57. Which of the following categories best describes your total family income before taxes?
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Under $10,000
$10,000 to less than $40,000
$40,000 to less than $75,000
$75,000 to less than $100,000
$100,000 to less than $150,000
$150,000 to less than $200,000
$200,000 or more
Don’t know / unsure
Thank you very much for your participation in this important survey.
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY POLL -- SPRING 2016
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