USConstitution.net 2006 Survey Results
This site has conducted an unscientific survey on various issues since July
of 1998. The results, while interesting in most cases, are to be taken with a
grain of salt – the results can easily be skewed by an individual or group of
individuals; the sample is, by nature, not representative (because it consists
only of Web users who visit my site and bother to view the survey page and
submit an opinion).
This page includes results from 2006. For results from other years, please
go to the Main Results Page.
Question 101, December 2006 The Iraq Study Group will
suggest that the United States begin a “gradual pullback” of troops from Iraq.
How long do you think the United States will have an active military presence
in Iraq?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| About six more months. | 47 | 8.61 |
| About one more year. | 56 | 10.26 |
| About two more years. | 67 | 12.27 |
| As soon as the next president pulls them out. | 191 | 34.98 |
| We will have a presence there for decades. | 185 | 33.88 |
| Total | 546 | 100.00 |
Question 100, November 2006 With the Democratics regaining
control of the Congress, the President’s agenda will be harder to get through
Congress. What do you think the next session of Congress will bring? (Note:
this survey question was not put in place until November 8.)
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| The parties will work harder to create legislation that everyone agrees on. |
60 | 28.99 |
| The Congress and the President are going to find themselves at loggerheads and even less will get done. |
90 | 43.48 |
| The split in the legislative and executive branches is going to lead to absolute chaos in Washington. |
57 | 27.54 |
| Total | 207 | 100.00 |
Question 99, October 2006 What party will get your vote for
the House of Representatives in the upcoming election? (Note: this survey
question was extended through to November 7).
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Republican candidate | 416 | 36.75 |
| Democratic candidate | 555 | 49.03 |
| Some other party’s candidate | 90 | 7.95 |
| I do not intend to vote | 71 | 6.27 |
| Total | 1132 | 100.00 |
Question 98, September 2006 Iran has again defied UN calls
for it to stop its uranium enrichment program, a program it says is for
peaceful means but which the rest of the world fears will lead to a weapons
program. What should the U.S. do about Iran?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| We know where their uranium processing plants are – we should bomb them to dust. |
265 | 40.46 |
| We have many allies in this effort, and we should work with them to talk to Iran and come to an agreement that prevents nuclear proliferation. |
250 | 38.17 |
| We have no right to stop Iran from doing anything. We should just leave them alone. |
140 | 21.37 |
| Total | 655 | 100.00 |
Question 97, August 2006 In July 2006, President Bush
issued his first veto, killing a bill that would have allowed unused frozen
embryos to be donated to science for use in creating stem cell lines. Stem
cell research promises to help a wide range of diseases, but critics claim that
the use of embryonic human tissue for any research is immoral. What do you
think?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Stem cell research is too important to stop, especially if unused embryos are donated for the research. |
327 | 62.05 |
| I’m queasy about the use of human embryos for research, but if they were to be destroyed anyway, at least this would have put them to good use. |
41 | 7.78 |
| Stem cell research should continue but only with stem cells derived from adults. |
109 | 20.68 |
| Stem cell research is an abomination and it must be stopped. | 50 | 9.49 |
| Total | 527 | 100.00 |
Question 96, July 2006 Each July, this survey will be
offered, allowing us to track, over time, the political persuasion of our
visitors. Questions are asked about party affiliation as well as economic and
social ranking on a scale of 1 to 9 (1 being very conservative and 9 being very
liberal).
| Response | Count | Percentage | Avg Econ | Avg Soc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Parties | 7 | 1.13 | — | — |
| No Party | 3 | 0.49 | — | — |
| Communist Party | 1 | 0.16 | 5.00 | 1.00 |
| Constitution Party | 12 | 1.94 | 2.58 | 2.83 |
| Democratic Party | 190 | 30.74 | 5.98 | 7.77 |
| Green Party | 26 | 4.21 | 6.85 | 8.08 |
| Independent | 140 | 22.65 | 4.63 | 5.39 |
| Libertarian | 65 | 10.52 | 2.74 | 6.42 |
| Liberty Union | 2 | 0.32 | 5.50 | 5.50 |
| Natural Law | 1 | 0.16 | 1.00 | 9.00 |
| Reform Party | 1 | 0.16 | 7.00 | 9.00 |
| Republican Party | 156 | 25.24 | 2.36 | 2.56 |
| Socialist Party | 13 | 2.10 | 7.23 | 8.38 |
| Total | 567 | 100.00 | 4.02 | 4.89 |
Notable “Other” parties: Freedom, Democratic Farmer-Labor, Confederate,
American Nazi, New Republic
Economics ranking:
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 = Very Conservative | 101 | 16.34 |
| 2 | 61 | 9.87 |
| 3 | 83 | 13.43 |
| 4 | 62 | 10.03 |
| 5 = Moderate | 123 | 19.90 |
| 6 | 44 | 7.12 |
| 7 | 70 | 11.33 |
| 8 | 39 | 6.31 |
| 9 = Very Liberal | 35 | 5.66 |
Social ranking:
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 = Very Conservative | 96 | 15.53 |
| 2 | 48 | 7.77 |
| 3 | 50 | 8.09 |
| 4 | 19 | 3.07 |
| 5 = Moderate | 48 | 7.77 |
| 6 | 30 | 4.85 |
| 7 | 91 | 14.72 |
| 8 | 95 | 15.37 |
| 9 = Very Liberal | 141 | 22.82 |
Question 95, June 2006 National polls are showing President
George Bush’s approval rating at all-time lows. How satisfied are you with the
overall job the President is doing?
| Response | Count | Percentage | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely Satisfied | 147 | 14.45 | 25.66 |
| Satisfied | 114 | 11.21 | |
| Neutral/no opinion | 21 | 2.06 | |
| Unsatisfied | 66 | 6.49 | 72.27 |
| Extremely Unsatisfied | 669 | 65.78 | |
| Total | 1017 | 100.00 |
Question 94, May 2006 Less than five years after the
September 11, 2001, attacks, “United 93,” about the events on the airplane that
crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside, has been released. Though this is
not the first feature-length film about the event, it is the first major studio
release. Some are upset about the film being released at all. What do you
think?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| I think it is time to examine the events and look forward to seeing the film. |
199 | 52.65 |
| I think it is time to examine the events, but it is too early for me – I’ll skip the film. |
28 | 7.411 |
| It is too early for this kind of film, and the studio should have waited longer to release it. |
42 | 11.11 |
| The commercialization of the events is crass and I plan to boycott the film. |
62 | 16.40 |
| I really don’t care one way or the other. | 47 | 12.43 |
| Total | 378 | 100.00 |
Question 93, April 2006 Only once in U.S. history, in 1834,
has the Senate censured a President. Senator Russell Feingold has proposed a
censure motion against President George Bush for his domestic spying program.
As a Senator, how would you vote?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| The censure motion is a waste of time. I would vote no. | 293 | 36.81 |
| I would like to hear the arguments, but I think that the censure attempt will fail; I would vote no. |
37 | 4.65 |
| I’m unsure how I would vote, I need to hear the debates. | 49 | 6.16 |
| I think that a censure motion is an appropriate, I would vote yes. | 81 | 10.18 |
| I think censure is a slap on the hand – impeachment is more appropriate. But censure’s a start, I’d vote yes. |
336 | 42.21 |
| Total | 796 | 100.00 |
Question 92, March 2006 What is your opinion of the Bush
Adminstration’s handling of the Katrina recovery and the Iraq war?
| Iraq | Extremely Satisfied | Satisfied | Neutral | Dissatisfied | Extremely Dissatisfied | |
| Katrina | 256 19.97% | 187 14.59% | 71 05.54% | 90 07.02% | 678 52.89% | |
| Extremely Satisfied | 191 14.90% | 160 12.48% | 24 01.87% | 5 00.39% | 0 00.00% | 2 00.16% |
| Satisfied | 230 17.94% | 77 06.01% | 123 09.59% | 14 01.09% | 8 00.62% | 8 00.62% |
| Neutral | 104 08.11% | 15 01.17% | 28 02.18% | 32 02.50% | 11 00.86% | 18 01.40% |
| Dissatisfied | 139 10.84% | 3 00.23% | 7 00.55% | 11 00.86% | 34 02.65% | 84 06.55% |
| Extremely Dissatisfied | 618 48.21% | 1 00.08% | 5 00.39% | 9 00.70% | 37 02.89% | 566 44.15% |
Total: 1282
Question 91, February 2006 What is your opinion of the
Administration’s terrorist surveillance program, which uses warrantless
wiretaps to listen in on some Americans’ overseas telephone conversations?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| The program is utterly vital to our national security, and it must continue unabated. |
461 | 33.90 |
| The program should continue in some form, but I think that warrantless wiretaps should only be used in extraordinary circumstances. |
123 | 9.04 |
| The program had good intentions, but our liberties are too important to be left to the executive branch. It should stop and the current scheme under FISA should be used exclusively. |
157 | 11.54 |
| The program is an example of the arrogance of power. It must be stopped now, and the President should apologize for ever authorizing it. |
176 | 12.94 |
| The program is a crime against the American people and the Congress should impeach President Bush over it. |
443 | 32.57 |
| Total | 1360 | 100.00 |
Question 90, January 2006 What troop level do you think the
United States will have in Iraq at the end of 2006?