Individual Freedom Tops List of Issues Before Supreme Court Followed By Gun Laws, Religious Liberty, Limiting the Power of Government, and Abortion

Posted on December 10, 2021 | by Staff Writer

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of voters say that individual freedom is Very Important in terms of how they vote. That’s the highest rating among seven broad issues being considered by the Supreme Court. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 63% rated gun laws as Very Important, 58% who say Religious Liberty is Very Important and 55% say the same about limiting the power of government. Abortion is seen as Very Important by 49%, Death Penalty Issues by 41%, and Transgender Rights by 31%.

For Republicans, the top three issues are Individual Freedom, Limiting the Power of Government and Religious Liberty.

For Democrats, the top three are Gun Laws, Individual Freedom, and Religious Liberty.

For Independents, the top issues are Individual Freedom, Gun Laws, and Religious Liberty.

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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.

Question:

In terms of how you will vote, how important are each of the following issues?

Abortion

49% Very important

26% Somewhat important

12% Not very important

6% Not at all important

7% Not sure

Gun laws

63% Very important

22% Somewhat important

6% Not very important

4% Not at all important

4% Not sure

Limiting the power of government

55% Very important

27% Somewhat important

9% Not very important

3% Not at all important

6% Not sure

Transgender rights

31% Very important

23% Somewhat important

17% Not very important

20% Not at all important

7% Not sure

Individual rights

68% Very important

19% Somewhat important

5% Not very important

2% Not at all important

6% Not sure

Religious liberty

58% Very important

24% Somewhat important

8% Not very important

5% Not at all important

5% Not sure

Death penalty

41% Very important

32% Somewhat important

13% Not very important

6% Not at all important

8% Not sure

Methodology

The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on December 6-8, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.

43% Say Rittenhouse Did Stupid Things, But Is Not a Murderer

Posted on November 24, 2021 | by Scott Rasmussen

Forty-three percent (43%) of voters who have heard of the Rittenhouse trial believe Kyle Rittenhouse did stupid things but is not a murderer. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 25% believe he is a murderer and 13% see him as a hero.

Most Republicans (56%) believe that Rittenhouse did stupid things but is not a murderer. A plurality of Democrats (44%) believe he is a murderer. Among Independent voters, 42% say he did stupid things, 22% say he’s a murderer, and 10% view him as a hero.

Among those who rely upon Fox News, 50% say Rittenhouse did stupid things while 13% see him as a murderer. Those who rely upon CNN are more evenly divided: 37% say he did stupid things and 34% say Rittenhouse is a murderer.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of all voters say they followed news about the trial closely. That includes 27% who followed it Very Closely. At the other extreme, 6% had never heard of the trial and 9% weren’t following it at all.

Among those who had heard of the case, 74% knew that Rittenhouse had been found not guilty of all charges.

People who understood the facts of the case were more likely than others to see Rittenhouse as someone who did stupid things rather than as a murderer. For example, those who mistakenly believe he shot three Black men were evenly divided between whether he was a murderer or someone who did stupid things.

However, among those who knew the shooting victims were not Black, most (54%) believe he did stupid things but was not a murderer. Just 22% of those who knew the reality saw him as a murderer.

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Question 1:

How closely have you followed recent news stories about the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse?

27% Very closely

38% Somewhat closely

17% Not very closely

9% Not at all

6% Never heard of it

2% Not sure

Question 2:

[Asked of those who had heard of the trial] Which of the following best describes the result of the trial?

8% Rittenhouse was found guilty of murder.

74% Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges against him.

6% Rittenhouse was found guilty on some of the charges, but not all of them.

12% Not sure

Question 3:

[Asked of those who had heard of the trial] Do you agree or disagree with the outcome of the trial?

34% Strongly agree

22% Somewhat agree

9% Somewhat disagree

18% Strongly disagree

17% Not sure

Question 4:

[Asked of those who had heard of the trial] Which of the following best describes your view of Kyle Rittenhouse?

25% He’s a murderer

13% He’s a hero

43% He made stupid decisions but is not a murderer

20% Not sure

Methodology

The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on November 22-23, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.

To Reduce Violence, 53% Say Cracking Down on Gang Activity Better Than Restricting Gun Ownership

Posted on July 16, 2021 | by Scott Rasmussen

To reduce violence in America, 53% of voters believe having the police crackdown on gang activity would be more effective than placing restrictions on gun ownership. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 35% take the opposite view and 12% are not sure.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Republicans believe cracking down on gang activity would be more effective. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democrats believe restricting gun ownership is the better approach. By a 50% to 24% margin, Independent voters see cracking down as gang activity would do more to reduce violence.

As on many issues, voters with a postgraduate degree have views that are significantly different than the rest of the population. By a 50% to 39% margin, those with an advanced degree believe restricting gun ownership is the best way to reduce violence. All other voters, by a 56% to 32% margin, take the opposite view.

Data released earlier found that 55% believe the “defund the police” movement led to increased crime in major U.S. cities.

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Methodology

The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from July 8-10, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or via text while 231 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Online respondents were selected from a list of Registered Voters and through a process of Random Digital Engagement. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.

Half See Gun Violence, Illegal Immigration as Crises

Posted on July 1, 2021 | by Scott Rasmussen

Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters see gun violence as a crisis in the United States today. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 50% see illegal immigration as a crisis.

Climate change is seen as a crisis by 38%, big tech censorship by 30%, and abortion by 27%.

There are significant partisan differences on all topics.

On gun violence, 74% of Democrats see it as a crisis. That view is shared by 43% of Independents and 34% of Republicans.

On illegal immigration, 73% of Republicans see it as a crisis. Forty-two percent (42%) of Independents and 31% of Democrats.

As for climate change, 54% of Democrats consider it a crisis. Just 27% of Independents and 24% of Republicans agree.

Voters who support policies like those of Senator Bernie Sanders are more likely than traditional Democrats to see climate change as a crisis.

Those who support policies like those of former President Donald Trump are less likely than traditional Republicans to see climate change as a crisis.

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Methodology

The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from June 24-26, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or via text while 153 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Online respondents were selected from a list of Registered Voters and through a process of Random Digital Engagement. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.