UNF ballot finds voters oppose Florida abortion invoice, assist sports activities playing

A brand new survey of Florida voters reveals their prime priorities for the state and the place they stand on key cultural and financial points.

Greater than 600 registered votes mentioned the economic system was the primary challenge that Florida’s lawmakers must be involved with. In addition they usually are not proud of the brand new abortion invoice handed within the state Home of Representatives final week. The acceptance of authorized sports activities playing is rising, and a majority mentioned they favored the legalization of marijuana for private use.

Florida’s Home of Representatives handed a invoice final week banning abortions after fifteen weeks of being pregnant, with slim exceptions to guard the lifetime of the mom and for fetal abnormalities. Respondents have been requested whether or not they assist or oppose this invoice being handed into regulation, and the pattern was break up between two alternative ways of framing the query. Half of respondents have been requested whether or not they assist or oppose the invoice successfully banning abortions after fifteen weeks. The opposite half acquired the identical query however with the added data that it doesn’t embody exceptions for rape or incest. In each samples, the vast majority of respondents (57%) opposed the invoice both strongly or considerably, with 34% supporting both considerably or strongly. Opposition was 5 proportion factors stronger amongst these respondents who acquired the total query, at 60%, in comparison with 55% who acquired the shorter model.

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“Opposition to the abortion ban was 5 factors larger with the ‘no exceptions’ model, however the truth that the responses weren’t terribly totally different speaks to the extremely partisan and emotional nature of the abortion debate,” commented Dr. Michael Binder, PORL college director and UNF professor of political science. “Individuals are likely to know the place they stand on the difficulty and query wording doesn’t change very many peoples’ minds.”

Respondents have been requested about one other lately handed invoice within the Florida State Senate that will prohibit faculty districts from encouraging dialogue about sexual orientation or gender identification in grades Kindergarten via 5, or in a approach that’s deemed age or developmentally inappropriate. The overall pattern confirmed total opposition to the passage of the invoice, with 49% opposing and 40% supporting both considerably or strongly.

“Help for the so-called ‘Don’t Say Homosexual’ invoice is just about 40%, regardless of it being handed within the State Senate final week,” mentioned Binder. “Once we break it down by social gathering registration, we see 54% of Republicans supporting the invoice, which is extra consistent with Florida’s Republican managed legislature.”

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As well as, respondents have been requested a couple of proposed modification to the Florida State Structure that will require faculty board candidates to run in partisan elections. At the moment, district faculty board elections in Florida are nonpartisan, which means candidates usually are not related to a political social gathering. Forty-nine % of respondents indicated they oppose the passage of this modification both strongly or considerably, with 32% supporting. Sixteen % of respondents mentioned they don’t know.

“Typically little or no data is on the market for down poll candidates—faculty board races particularly—and easily including a celebration identifier will enhance the partisan voting in these races,” Binder commented. “The modification has fairly weak assist amongst survey respondents at simply over 30%, which appears to point Florida voters wish to hold politics out of the training system.”

In one other split-sample query, respondents have been requested whether or not they assist or oppose legalizing sports activities and occasion betting for people age 21 or over at skilled sports activities venues or on-line betting platforms. Half of the whole pattern acquired simply this wording, whereas the opposite half have been requested their assist if tax income would go towards training in Florida. Within the first model, with out the training stipulation, 50% of respondents mentioned they assist sports activities betting both considerably or strongly, with 35% opposing. When the training language was added, assist jumped 10 proportion factors to 60%, with simply 28% opposing.

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“The stark variations within the two variations of the query reveals simply how vital wording may be in terms of public opinion,” Binder famous. “If individuals see a profit for the state, reminiscent of elevated funding for training, they’re extra prone to assist a wide range of insurance policies. One of many massive causes lotteries have been legalized on the state degree within the first place was that a big chunk of these revenues went towards training and on-line playing supporters are merely following in these footsteps.”

Respondents have been additionally requested whether or not they assist or oppose permitting adults in Florida to legally possess small quantities of marijuana for leisure use. The overwhelming majority (76%) mentioned they assist the concept both considerably or strongly, with simply 20% opposing. Help for leisure marijuana has elevated by 12 proportion factors since November of 2019, when 64% of respondents mentioned they assist it strongly or considerably.

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“Earlier polls we carried out have proven assist within the mid-60s for marijuana legalization however Floridians are actually extremely supportive of leisure marijuana,” famous Binder.

Respondents have been additionally requested in the event that they imagine that politicians and elected officers must be required to publicly disclose their COVID-19 vaccination standing, to which 58% mentioned no, 38% mentioned sure, and three% mentioned they don’t know.

“There isn’t a lot assist for obligatory disclosure of vaccination standing, which isn’t too stunning contemplating the shortage of statewide COVID restrictions,” commented Binder.

As well as, survey respondents have been requested what they suppose is a very powerful downside going through Florida. Probably the most frequent response was the economic system, jobs and unemployment, with 21% of respondents indicating it’s a very powerful downside. This was adopted by immigration with 14%, training with 12%, and COVID-19 with 11%. Respondents have been additionally given the chance to put in writing in “different” points, just a few of which have been then recoded into further classes. Amongst these points have been politics and politicians with 4%, and housing prices with 2%.

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“People appear to be extra nervous about jobs and unemployment than the final time we requested this query, at simply 9% in February of 2020,” Binder famous. “Again then a very powerful challenge was healthcare, which has dropped seventh place this yr. Inexpensive housing and politics appear to be rising as two challenge areas of concern.”