What’s hot: A look at the polls

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Summer is here, and several issues are heating up in the news and in the polls. The June issue of AEI’s Political Report assesses the latest polls on health care, same-sex marriage, race relations, trade, and civil liberties versus national security. As the race to 2016 gains steam, we also look at some campaign storylines pollsters have tested thus far.

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA): Recent surveys by major pollsters show that more Americans disapprove than approve of the ACA. Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the total cost they pay for their health care, while a third say they or a family member has put off medical treatment due to the cost—the highest response to date (Gallup).

• Same-sex marriage: Fifty-eight percent of Americans say they would favor the Supreme Court’s decision giving gays a constitutional right to marry, while 37 percent would oppose it (NBC/Wall Street Journal). In an online survey from April, 34 percent of respondents reported that a candidate who opposes gay marriage is “totally unacceptable,” the highest response among the controversial policy positions included in the poll (YouGov).

• Race relations and President Obama: More people say race relations have gotten worse (39 percent) than better (15 percent) since Barack Obama became president, although a plurality (45 percent) say relations have stayed the same. Forty-five percent of whites think race relations have gotten worse, while 26 percent of blacks gave that response (CNN/Opinion Research Corporation).

• Trade winds are blowing: Sixty-one percent of Democrats and the same percentage of independents see foreign trade more as an opportunity for economic growth than a threat to the economy. Fifty-one percent of Republicans gave that response (Gallup).

• The Patriot Act and civil liberties: Almost half (49 percent) of respondents said the government’s antiterrorism policies have not gone far enough to adequately protect the country, while 37 percent say they have gone too far in restricting the average person’s civil liberties (Pew).

• Campaign 2016: How do people think about a candidate’s age and his or her family? Are partisans happy with their field of candidates? See this issue’s final pages for the answers.

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