AnthonyNygren

Polls1100
Professor
Sowards
22March2016

ResultsofSurveyofContemporaryPoliticalAwarenessandIssues

Withinthefirstmonthofourclass,weweregivenasurvey,withsomeveryinterestingresults.
Theaverageofthestudentbasiswas22.3yearsold.Ifigurethatmebeing17atthetimemade
metheyoungeststudentintheclass,meaningthatallstudentsareofvotingage.Iwouldliketo
haveseenaquestionofifeachstudentwasregisteredtovote,thatwouldhavebeeninteresting.
Now,ofthestudentbasis,nearlyweremale,howeverIdontseethisbeingafactortopolitical
demographics.Ofthis,100%ofthestudentswereabletotellthatObamawasourpresident.On
amuchsaddernote,only48%wereabletotellthevicepresidentJoeBiden.Only30%wereable
tonameourgovernor,GaryHerbert,and37%abletonameeitherOrrinHatchorMikeLeeasa
senator.Added,only19%wereabletonameeither
RobBishop,ChrisStewart,JasonChaffetzor
MiaLoveashousemembers.GivenatthetimeIwasnotabletoanswerallofthequestions,
throughfurtherpoliticalresearchthisshouldn'tbehard,especiallygiventhateveryoneinthe
classisabletovoteinthenextgeneralelection.Ofthissurveypopulation,considered
themselvesliberal,whileconsideredthemselvesconservative.Thismeansdidnthave
affiliationwitheitherview.
ThefirstquestionaskedwasabouttheUnitedStatesimmigrationpolicy.Thisisavery
twosidedissue.Frontrunneroftherepublicanplatform,DonaldTrump,wouldliketokickany
undocumentedimmigrantoutofthecountry.Moresocialist/libralBernieSanderswouldliketo
implementprogramstodocumenttheseimmigrantsandhavethemworklegally.Withthemore
conservativeviewofamorerestrictedpolicy,oftheclassagreed,stickingtothethat
claimedtheywereconservative.wantedtohavealessrestrictedpolicy,thatismoreliberal.
Thesecondquestionwasaboutterrorismandourfirstamendmentrights.Again,Donald
TrumphastakenastanceonnotallowingMuslimimmigrantsintothecountrybecauseofISIS.

Thisisagainstfreedomofreligionhowever.Anotherexamplecouldbefreedomofspeechand
shouldtheNSAbetrackingourphonecallstofightterrorism.Thiswasalmosta5050split
betweenthesideswiththeoptionofnotrelaxingourrightstobeviolated,beingthemoreliberal
ofthetwoviews.
Thethirdquestionwasaboutlawabidingcitizenstohavetherighttobeararms.Thisled
toanalmostunanimousdecisiontosticktooursecondamendmentrightstobeararms,with
96%.Thiscanbetakenasthemoreconservativeanswertothequestion,giventhatmostliberals
wouldliketorestrictownershipofguns.Ifeelasthoughthewordingofthequestioncausedthis
dramaticshift,foritisoursecondamendmentrighttobeararms,wellforastatemilitiatobe
abletotakeuparms.Iwouldliketoseeifitwouldhavebeenwordeddifferentlytoseehowthe
votewouldhaveshifted.
Thisonereallysurprisedme.Thefourthquestionwasonthesupremecourt'sdecisionto
legalizegaymarriage.Conservativestendtotakethestanceoftraditionalmarriagewhileliberals
taketheviewofmarriageequality.However,thevotewas56%forgaymarriageand44%
against,creatingalmosta5050splitbetweenaverycontroversialsubjectbetweenlibransand
conservatives.
Questionfivewasonassistedsuicideforthementallyill.Ibelievethattheprochoice
viewpointinthiscaseismoreliberal,being63%oftheclass.37%wereagainstitwhichI
believeisthemoreconservativeview.Thisoneishardtotellthoughbecauseitismorebasedof
moralitybeliefsonsuicide.Ibelievethesamegoeswithquestion8andtheperson'sviewonthe
NSA.Ibelievethisquestionismoreaboutaperson'sbeliefinprivacycomparedtoliberalor
conservativeviews,althoughliberalsaremoreprogovernmentintheseactions.IthinkproNSA

isalittlemoreliberal,being19%,whileagainsttheNSAisalittlemoreconservative,being
81%.
Question6wasaboutUniversalhealthcare,whichisaveryliberalidea.BernieSanders
isfightingforthis,sayingObamacareisadamngoodstart,whilemostrepublicanswanttoget
ridofObamacare.63%wereprohealthcarewhile37%wereagainst,showingalmostthesame
splitasinquestionone.Question7isaboutmilitaryactiontowardRussia,IranandNorthKorea
aswellasterrorism.Conservativesaremoreprowarandnationalsecuritywhileliberalsare
moreaboutwhathappensintheUS.Themoreliberalviewofstayingoutofmoreforeign
conflictwasat41%,whileamoremilitarystancewasat59%.
Conservativesingeneralareagainsttaxesandwouldliketomakeasmanytaxcutsas
theycan,withGeorgeBushSr.runningwiththesloganTherewillbenonewtaxes(whichhe
couldntstickto).Liberalsaremoreprotaxtostimulatedomesticprograms.52%stuckwitha
notaxcutviewwhile44%wantedtocuttaxes.
Finally,70%oftheclasswantedtoimplementstructurerulestodealwithglobal
warming.Thiswouldcostalotofmoneyandgovernmentspendingwhichisamoreliberalidea.
Thisledto26%notwantingtoputinprograms,beingthemoreconservativeoftheview.
Throughanalyzingthedatafromthesurvey,Iamabletoconcludethattheclassis
slightlymoreliberal.Bytakingtheaverageoftheresults(excludingquestion3,5and8becauseI
donotthinkthesetakeadirectstandpointperside),Iwasabletoconcludeabout57.3%followed
liberalanswerswhile41%weremoreconservative,thedifferenceinnumbersisbecausesome
didntcompletelyaddupto100%ofthevote.Overall,Idonottrusttheseresultsforsuregiven
thefirstpartofthesurvey.Mostpeoplecouldn'teventellwhotheVicePresidentwas,Idonot

thinktheywouldknowhowtheeconomywouldreacttotaxingdifferentgroupsofpeople,taking
highermilitaryactionoreventhecostsgoingintofundingprogramssuchasemissions.Ifeelas
thoughpoliticalawarenessofyoungpeopleisveryslim.Throughbettereducationofpolitics,I
feelasthoughpeoplewillbeabletotakeastanceinwhattheybelievewithknowledgeofwhat
mayhappengiveneachsituation.However,overallIfeelasthoughthisclassisastarttoeducate
thenextgenerationofvoters.