For Immediate Release
March 30, 2017
Contact:
Liz Bitzer
PICC Outreach Coordinator
[email protected]​ ​(765) 494-1892
GIVEN THE CHOICE, AMERICANS WOULD RATHER HAVE
JOHN MCCAIN IN THE WHITE HOUSE
​Purdue Institute for Civic Communication takes national survey
on voter confidence
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — One in four Americans view President Donald J. Trump as a
significant threat to national security, and if given the opportunity to put another Republican in
the Oval Office tomorrow, many would choose Sen. John McCain of Arizona over the president,
according to results of a new poll from the students at the nonpartisan Purdue Institute for Civic
Communication (PICC).
The PICC National Poll on Civic Confidence is conducted by undergraduate student
researchers at Purdue University. They surveyed 1,200 eligible voters across the nation
between March 7 and 9, focusing on reaction to the Trump administration’s early actions. The
poll, in its third year, is fielded online by the international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland
(PSB).
Voters taking the poll were asked: “Which of the following is the most significant threat to the
national security of the United States?” The choices were China, Congress, immigrants, ISIS,
news media, North Korea, the President, Russia, and other.
Mr. Trump was chosen by 26 percent of respondents, second to the terror group ISIS (32%).
The president fared worse than North Korea (12%), Russia (8%), and news media (6%). Black
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voters (41%), Democrats (43%) and liberals (48%) led in choosing President Trump as a threat,
and they were joined by 10 percent of conservatives and 6 percent of Republicans.
Since a PICC survey in February 2016, conducted when President Barack Obama was in office,
the choice of the president as the most significant threat to national security has increased by
14 percent.
Offered a hypothetical choice, voters were asked, “If you had to choose among the following
Republicans, who would be the President tomorrow morning?” While no one Republican on the
list scored a majority, more respondents -- 30 percent -- preferred Senator McCain in the White
House. President Trump came in second, with 26 percent. Of Republicans, 51 percent selected
Mr. Trump, meaning that nearly half chose not to keep him in office.
Respondents’ other preferences from the list were in order: former President George W. Bush,
House Speaker Paul Ryan, and finally Vice President Mike Pence.
“The choice of Senator McCain, together with other results from the students’ latest poll,
produced a picture of an anxious electorate,” said Carolyn Curiel, a former journalist, White
House speechwriter and U.S. Ambassador, who is the PICC executive director and class
instructor. “Republicans are divided on Mr. Trump, and don’t seem to embrace the elected party
leaders in line for presidential succession.”
Mr. McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008, has been one of President Trump’s
most vocal critics within the party. The senator was popular with more than half of self-identified
liberals; one-third of moderates also preferred him.
Among those surveyed, 21 percent chose to return President George W. Bush to the West
Wing. He also finished second strongest among American minorities -- behind Mr. McCain -with 30 percent of Black Americans and a quarter of Hispanics and women preferring him nearly
a decade after he left office.
Mr. Trump, who received nearly two-thirds of rural votes in the November election, was rejected
by 70 percent of all rural voters in the PICC poll. Only 30 percent chose him to remain in office,
while 24 percent preferred former President Bush, and 22 percent selected Senator McCain as
commander-in-chief.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Speaker of the House of Representatives and constitutionally third
in succession for the presidency, was in fourth place, with 13 percent of Americans selecting
him. Vice President Mike Pence came in last among the list, with just 9 percent choosing him to
lead the nation. But asked about Mr. Pence’s role in the administration, 30 percent viewed him
as “President in waiting.” Across regions, Mr. Pence, a former Indiana governor, was least
popular in the Midwest and the West.
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The PICC poll plans to release more results of its survey in coming days.
Ambassador Curiel developed the polling class in partnership with the polling firm Penn Schoen
Berland (PSB) and C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. Contributing instructor
Dr. Katie Cahill, associate director of the PICC, and teaching assistant Sara Wiest, Ph.D.
candidate in political science, assist the students as they work in teams.
Undergraduate students​ of the polling unit are: Mary Lynn Dennis, a senior in finance,
accounting and management, Newburgh, IN; James Doherty, a junior in marketing and
management, Brookfield, IL; Eric Erli, a senior in political science, Ramsey, NJ; Cheyanne
Geideman, a senior in visual communications design, Huntington, IN; Henri LaLiberte, a
sophomore in organizational and strategic management, Duluth, MN; Grace Moser, a senior in
psychological science, Noblesville, IN; Ashley Neubaum, a junior in marketing and
management, Warsaw, IN; Austin Scheetz, a junior in natural resource and environmental
science, Flower Mound, TX; Donnie Spencer, a junior in political science and biology,
Brownsburg, IN; Mikaela Wieland, a senior in agricultural communication, Princeville, IL; and
Kayla Wyman, a junior in political science, Pearland, TX.
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Methodology
The survey was conducted among 1,200 U.S. citizens ages 18 and older from March 7 to 9,
2017, with questions created by PICC students at Purdue University. ​Students in the polling
class work in teams to formulate survey questions and analyze results. The survey aims to
capture public views of American democracy and faith in civic institutions.
The international polling firm PSB fielded the survey online, weighting the data to 2016
Census Bureau American Community Survey to ​ensure ​a nationally representative sample of
Americans who vote. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.82 percent.
Certification
Every student admitted into the PICC polling unit is certified to conduct human research through
the Institutional Review Board of Purdue University. This is the same credential required of
academics to ensure ​that all research is in accordance with all federal, institutional, and ethical
guidelines.
About PICC
The PICC is a nonpartisan initiative at Purdue University for informed and engaged citizenship,
founded by Ambassador Curiel and made possible by support from the Daniels Fund and a
partnership with C-SPAN. For more information visit the website​ ​www.picc.purdue.edu.
Additional Contacts:
Ambassador Curiel, PICC Executive Director, ​[email protected]
Dr. Katie Cahill, PICC Associate Director, ​[email protected]
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