ECU’s Center for Survey Research polls public on hot topics

East Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research (CSR) has released the results of two recent polls — one focusing on the controversy surrounding Confederate monuments in North Carolina and the other on sports gambling legalization and Super Bowl betting behavior in Mississippi and New Jersey.

On the topic of sports gambling legalization, political party affiliation had little effect on the public’s feelings on the topic. On the other hand, the views related to Confederate monuments were sharply divided between those who voted for Donald Trump and those who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

“The legalization of sports gambling is one of the very few issues today that can cross the political divide. Yet, on other issues such as Confederate monuments political polarization runs deep,” said Dr. Peter Francia, director of the CSR. “In North Carolina, feelings on the issue of Confederate monuments are strong and differences in opinion are wide, especially when comparing Trump voters to Clinton voters.”

Confederate monuments

The CSR polled more than 700 adults in North Carolina 18 and older to measure public opinion regarding Confederate monuments and the broader issue of Confederate monuments on college and university campuses in North Carolina. Questions regarding the Silent Sam monument at UNC-Chapel Hill were included.

Key findings:

• Members of the public are divided on the issue of Confederate monuments remaining on college and university campuses, with 46 percent who disagree and 37 percent who agree that the monuments should be removed. The remaining 18 percent neither agreed or disagreed.
• There are deep political divisions on the issue of Confederate monuments remaining on college and university campuses, highlighted by extreme polarization between those who voted for Donald Trump and those who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Seventy-eight percent of Trump voters oppose the removal of the monuments versus 21 percent of Clinton voters.
• On the specific issue of Silent Sam at UNC-Chapel Hill, 61 percent of those surveyed who were familiar with the Silent Sam controversy believe Silent Sam should be returned to its original location on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
• Trump voters in North Carolina express overwhelming support (90 percent) for returning Silent Sam to its original location on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The same is true for 35 percent of Clinton voters.

Super Bowl betting and sports gambling legalization

The 2019 Super Bowl was the first large sporting event to take place in states that have legalized sports gambling since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act last year.

ECU’s CSR polled more than 1,000 Mississippi and New Jersey residents age 21 and older Feb. 6-12. These two states recently legalized sports gambling and the focus of the poll was to get their opinions on the legalization of sports gambling and gambling activity during the Super Bowl.

“These two states are very different – a northern state dominated by Democrats and a southern state dominated by Republicans. We were interested in looking at the opinions of the residents of these two states related to gambling activities and sports gambling,” said Francia.

Significant findings include:

• Despite their regional and political differences, residents in both states were highly supportive of their state’s law to legalize sports gambling.
• 1 in 4 reported gambling on the Super Bowl.
• Religion and partisan identification have little influence on support for legalized sports gambling.
• People who think legalized sports gambling is good for their state’s economy outnumber those who think it’s bad by a 3-to-1 margin.
• Only 26 percent of respondents thought gambling on sports was morally wrong.

The center’s national poll, conducted last summer, showed Americans in support of legalized sports gambling by a 2-to-1 margin. In this latest poll of respondents from Mississippi and New Jersey, supporters of legalized sports gambling outnumbered opponents by a 3-to-1 margin in both states.

ECU’s Center for Survey Research (CSR) has delivered data-based research expertise to various agencies, organizations and interest groups across eastern North Carolina since 1989. Our methods of professional public opinion assessment and organizational evaluation have earned CSR the reputation as the premier provider of quality consulting services in our region.

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ECU News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
news.ecu.edu

Contact: Jamie Smith, ECU News Services, smithjami15@ecu.edu, 252-328-1162

Link to the full reports: https://surveyresearch.ecu.edu/lifelibertyhappiness/