National Post-Election Poll: Americans Intended to Send President a Message

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to results from a post-election poll by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media, nearly two-thirds of Americans used their vote to send the president either a message of support (23.6 percent) or opposition (37.9 percent).

According to poll respondents, the most important issues driving voting decision in the November 2014 election included: jobs and the economy (65.9 percent), healthcare (61.9 percent), immigration (52 percent) and government spending/federal deficit (45.3 percent).

"Voter turnout on was the lowest since 1942," said RMU political scientist Philip Harold. "Our poll showed non-voters did not hold a significantly different view about the election than voters. Supporters of the president in previous elections who did not vote in 2014 were unenthusiastic about the record of the president on the issues they perceived as important in that election year and chose not to endorse them with their vote." 

Many respondents, 65.4%, were guided in their voting decisions by the desire to support candidates who shared their values and political philosophy.  Others (50.3%) also sought to support candidates who appeared reasonable and able to work with each other while some, 29.9%, supported candidates they trusted. 

"With the gridlock in Washington, it's interesting to see that voters are looking for elected representatives who will represent their views, more than leaders they trust to work with others and seek common ground," said Harold.

The RMU poll also measured perceived trust in the government. Less than 40 percent indicated strong 'trust and confidence' ratings for their local government. The 'trust and confidence' rankings for state (20.3 percent) and federal (21.7 percent) were significantly lower.

ABOUT THE POLL: The poll was conducted by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media. Go to rmu.edu/poll for more information.

METHODOLOGY: The poll sampled opinions of 1004 approximately proportional to state population contribution nationwide. The survey was conducted Nov. 24 to Dec. 5, 2014. All surveys were conducted using an online survey instrument. The poll has a +/- 3.0 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level on a composite basis.

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SOURCE Robert Morris University

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