| Question |
Answer |
VoteMatch results
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Below are the summary results of our VoteMatch 20-question political quiz,
with analysis of the responses in terms of Bush's & Kerry's stances from
the 2004 elections. This data represents 15,800 VoteMatch quiz responses in the
period January 1 through July 31, 2004. Click on the links below for excerpts
on each topic, or click for a summary of
Kerry's VoteMatch answers and
Bush's VoteMatch answers, with headlines evidencing how we concluded
their answer to each question. Click on the "analysis" link to see background
and details about the question.
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Abortion is a Woman's Right |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 59%
agree with Kerry's pro-choice
stance, and only 34% with
Bush's pro-life stance. This issue has the fewest people answering "no
opinion" of any VoteMatch issue (only 7%), which reflects the fact that it is
overwhelmingly the issue with the most voter interest (as indicated by our
viewership statistics). Click for all candidates' headlines on
abortion or for background
information.
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Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Kerry
supports
Affirmative Action but questions its effectiveness; Bush supports
Affirmative Access with more focus on process than outcome. Note that
our question specifies REQUIREMENT: 39% support that, and 45% oppose it. (This
has changed from 35% support and 51% oppose in 1999-2000, the largest shift for
any question which had identical wording then). Click for all candidates'
headlines on Civil Rights or for
background information.
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Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 61%
agree with Kerry's
relatively pro-gay leave-it-to-the-states stance, and 25% with
Bush's Defense-of-Marriage stance. The response pattern indicates a
divisive issue: both "strongly" bars are larger than their corresponding
non-strong bars. The "strongly support" bar has the highest response of any
quiz question (and has grown since 1999-2000) -- this is attributable to the
growing interest and growing divisiveness in this topic due to the advent of
same-sex marriages. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Civil Rights or for
background information.
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Permit Prayer In Public Schools |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: It's
difficult to decode the candidates's stances on religious issues, since both
are wary of issues of separation of church and state, and neither wants to be
seen as anti-religion. But Bush is considerably more willing to federally fund
values education, which the results above would imply are supported by
49% of voters. 37% oppose school prayer, which implies a closer match to
Kerry's "no" vote on voluntary prayer. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Education or for headlines on
Values.
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Death Penalty |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Bush
supports the death penalty, and Kerry is opposed. Bush's
fervent support is backed up by 49% of voters. Kerry's
opposition is backed by 38% of voters (a shift from 47%-43% in
1999-2000). Click for all candidates' headlines on Crime
or for background information.
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Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Bush
supports mandatory sentencing, which matches voter preference: 47% to 35%
opposed. Kerry prefers
prevention (support for mandatory sentencing has waned since
1999-2000). Bush is more fervent than the wording of this question, in favor of
"Two Strikes" and limited parole, including minors. Click for all
candidates' headlines on Crime or for
background information.
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Absolute Right To Gun Ownership |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: The
Gun Control issue is second in the Big Three issues in terms of viewer
interest, behind Abortion and ahead of Education -- all the other issues are
very distantly behind. Voters are split on the issue: 42% agree with
Bush's pro-gun rights stance, while 44% agree with
Kerry's pro-registration stance. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Gun_Control or for background
information.
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More Federal Funding For Health Coverage |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: This
is the most lopsided of any response: 66% in favor, versus only 20% opposing.
Accordingly, Bush has been promoting various spending programs, such as
Medicare prescription drugs. But health care is generally seen as a
Democratic issue, favoring Kerry's more fervent stance of
incrementally reaching universal coverage. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Health Care or for
background information.
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Privatize Social Security |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Only
35% agree with Kerry's stance to keep Social Security
within the federal government, while 44% agree with Bush's stance of
privatization (but support of privatization has waned since the
1999-2000 score of 56%-29%). Social Security until recently was called the
"Third Rail" of politics -- touch it and you die -- but clearly the voters are
ready for a change. This question is perhaps the most skewed by our
demographics -- our respondents are all Internet users, and hence are younger
and more affluent than the general population. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Social Security or for
background information.
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Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 44%
agree with Kerry's stance to
fund public schools only, and 37% agree with Bush's stance to
fund vouchers for private schools. Education is primarily a non-federal
issue, with 93% of funding and most decisions occuring at the state and local
levels. But education is solidly third in voter interest (behind abortion and
guns, as measured by our viewership statistics -- it has slipped from second
place in 1999-2000), so the candidates are obligated to make their views known
despite the limited power of the presidency on this issue. Click for all
candidates' headlines on School Choice or for
background information.
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Reduce use of coal, oil, & nuclear energy |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: The
environmental issue is the most lopsided issue on which the candidates sharply
differ; this is a particularly sharp difference because the question is worded
in terms of direct conservation. 59% agree with Kerry's stance that
global warming is a serious threat, and 23% with Bush's stance
drill for more oil. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Energ |
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