Marquette Law School Supreme Court Poll September 8-15, 2020

These are partial results with other items held for later release.

(Percentages are rounded to whole numbers for reporting of results. Frequencies have been rounded to whole numbers but percentages are calculated based on non-integer weighted sample sizes.)

Results for survey items among all respondents are presented here (unless otherwise indicated). Please note that some questions are only asked of particular groups of respondents. In these instances, the row “NA’s” includes the number and percent of total respondents omitted from the question. These omitted cases are ignored when calculating the “Valid” and “Cumulative” percent columns.

Q9: election 2020 (likely voters only)

[LIKELY VOTERS ONLY] If the election for president were being held today and the candidates were Joe Biden, the Democrat, Donald Trump, the Republican, Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian, and Howie Hawkins, the Green Party, for whom would you vote?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Biden 555 36 50 50
Trump 437 29 40 90
Jorgensen 31 2 3 93
Hawkins 17 1 2 94
Vote for someone else 30 2 3 97
Would not vote 26 2 2 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 4 0 0 100
(Missing) 422 28 NA NA

Q10: SCOTUS ideology

In general, would you describe the US Supreme Court as…?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Very conservative 83 5 5 5
Conservative 458 30 30 35
Moderate 815 54 54 89
Liberal 134 9 9 98
Very liberal 28 2 2 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 5 0 0 100

Q11: SCOTUS party appointments

What is your guess as to whether a majority of the current US Supreme Court Justices were appointed by Democratic or Republican presidents?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Definitely a majority appointed by Democratic presidents 58 4 4 4
Probably a majority appointed by Democratic presidents 362 24 24 28
Probably a majority appointed by Republican presidents 773 51 51 78
Definitely a majority appointed by Republican presidents 313 21 21 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 16 1 1 100

Q15A: Fav/Unfav - Samuel Alito

[Samuel Alito] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 626 41 41 41
Heard but not enough 499 33 33 74
Favorable opinion 258 17 17 91
Unfavorable opinion 129 8 8 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 11 1 1 100

Q15B: Fav/Unfav - Stephen Breyer

[Stephen Breyer] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 719 47 47 47
Heard but not enough 519 34 34 81
Favorable opinion 189 12 12 94
Unfavorable opinion 85 6 6 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 10 1 1 100

Q15C: Fav/Unfav - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 266 17 17 17
Heard but not enough 296 19 19 37
Favorable opinion 675 44 44 81
Unfavorable opinion 282 19 19 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 5 0 0 100

Q15D: Fav/Unfav - Neil Gorsuch

[Neil Gorsuch] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 566 37 37 37
Heard but not enough 439 29 29 66
Favorable opinion 286 19 19 85
Unfavorable opinion 220 14 14 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 12 1 1 100

Q15E: Fav/Unfav - Elena Kagan

[Elena Kagan] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 696 46 46 46
Heard but not enough 405 27 27 72
Favorable opinion 277 18 18 91
Unfavorable opinion 136 9 9 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 9 1 1 100

Q15F: Fav/Unfav - Brett Kavanaugh

[Brett Kavanaugh] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 243 16 16 16
Heard but not enough 351 23 23 39
Favorable opinion 425 28 28 67
Unfavorable opinion 494 32 32 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 10 1 1 100

Q15G: Fav/Unfav - John Roberts

[John Roberts] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 471 31 31 31
Heard but not enough 410 27 27 58
Favorable opinion 434 28 28 86
Unfavorable opinion 191 13 13 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 17 1 1 100

Q15H: Fav/Unfav - Clarence Thomas

[Clarence Thomas] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 336 22 22 22
Heard but not enough 346 23 23 45
Favorable opinion 455 30 30 75
Unfavorable opinion 373 25 25 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 13 1 1 100

Q15I: Fav/Unfav - Sonia Sotomayor

[Sonia Sotomayor] For each of these names have you never heard of them, heard of them but don’t know enough to have an opinion of them, have a favorable opinion or have an unfavorable opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never heard of 419 28 28 28
Heard but not enough 377 25 25 52
Favorable opinion 503 33 33 85
Unfavorable opinion 213 14 14 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 11 1 1 100

Q24: importance of next justice

How important is the choice of the next Supreme Court justice to you personally?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Very important 728 48 48 48
Somewhat important 522 34 34 82
Not too important 201 13 13 95
Not at all important 68 4 4 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 3 0 0 100

Q25: vote based on justice beliefs

If a nominee for the US Supreme Court is qualified and has no ethical problems, would US Senators be justified or not justified in voting against that nominee simply because of how they believe the Justice would decide cases on issues such as abortion, gun control, or affirmative action?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Justified in voting against the nominee 622 41 41 41
Not justified in voting against the nominee 880 58 58 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 20 1 1 100

Q26: vote based on justice party

If a nominee for the US Supreme Court is qualified and has no ethical problems, would US Senators be justified or not justified in voting against that nominee simply because the Senator is from a different political party ...?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Justified in voting against the nominee 313 21 21 21
Not justified in voting against the nominee 1189 78 78 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 21 1 1 100

Q27: should nominees make beliefs public

Should nominees to the Supreme Court be required to publicly declare how they would vote on controversial cases such as gun rights or abortion rights before they are confirmed to the Court?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Should declare positions 772 51 51 51
Should not be required to declare positions 737 48 48 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 14 1 1 100

Q30: support or ignore political parties

Should justices of the Supreme Court support the positions of one of the political parties when making decisions or should they ignore the positions of any party?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Should support party positions 270 18 18 18
Should ignore party positions 1244 82 82 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 8 1 1 100

Q31: consider or ignore public opinion

Should justices of the Supreme Court consider public opinion about a case when making decisions or should they ignore public opinion?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Should consider public opinion 676 44 44 44
Should ignore public opinion 836 55 55 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 10 1 1 100

Q32: follow or fix precedent

Should justices of the Supreme Court follow previous decisions whenever possible or should the Court overturn previous decisions if a majority of the Court believes the case was wrongly decided?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Follow previous decisions 280 18 18 18
Overturn if a majority think it was wrongly decided 1226 81 81 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 17 1 1 100

Q40A: favor/oppose - overturn Roe vs. Wade

[Overturn Roe versus Wade, thus strike down the 1973 decision that made abortion legal in all 50 states] How much do you favor or oppose the following possible Supreme Court decisions?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor 276 18 18 18
Somewhat favor 211 14 14 32
Somewhat oppose 221 15 15 47
Strongly oppose 621 41 41 87
Don’t know 176 12 12 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 18 1 1 100

Q40B: favor/oppose - strike down Obamacare

[Strike down the 2010 health care reform law, also called Obamacare, by declaring it unconstitutional] How much do you favor or oppose the following possible Supreme Court decisions?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor 342 22 22 22
Somewhat favor 206 14 14 36
Somewhat oppose 231 15 15 51
Strongly oppose 563 37 37 88
Don’t know 168 11 11 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 13 1 1 100

Q55: approve/disapprove - Trump’s handling of job

Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve 331 22 22 22
Somewhat approve 297 20 20 41
Somewhat disapprove 186 12 12 53
Strongly disapprove 698 46 46 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 11 1 1 100

Q55: (2-category)

Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Approve 628 41 41 41
Disapprove 884 58 58 99
Skipped on web 11 1 1 100

Q57A: approve/disapprove - Trump’s handling of economy

[The economy] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve 452 30 30 30
Somewhat approve 324 21 21 51
Somewhat disapprove 265 17 17 68
Strongly disapprove 476 31 31 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 5 0 0 100

Q57A: (2-category)

[The economy] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Approve 777 51 51 51
Disapprove 741 49 49 100
Skipped on web 5 0 0 100

Q57B: approve/disapprove - Trump’s handling of COVID-19

[The coronavirus outbreak] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve 269 18 18 18
Somewhat approve 304 20 20 38
Somewhat disapprove 190 12 12 50
Strongly disapprove 754 50 50 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 6 0 0 100

Q57B: (2-category)

[The coronavirus outbreak] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Approve 573 38 38 38
Disapprove 944 62 62 100
Skipped on web 6 0 0 100

Q57C: approve/disapprove - Trump’s handling of SCOTUS appointments

[Appointments to the US Supreme Court] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve 297 19 19 19
Somewhat approve 413 27 27 47
Somewhat disapprove 300 20 20 66
Strongly disapprove 500 33 33 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 13 1 1 100

Q57C: (2-category)

[Appointments to the US Supreme Court] How much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Approve 710 47 47 47
Disapprove 799 52 52 99
Skipped on web 13 1 1 100

Q57D: approve/disapprove - Trump’s handling of BLM protests

[The Black Lives Matter Protests] How much do you approve or disapprove the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve 245 16 16 16
Somewhat approve 324 21 21 37
Somewhat disapprove 221 14 14 52
Strongly disapprove 720 47 47 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 14 1 1 100

Q57D: (2-category)

[The Black Lives Matter Protests] How much do you approve or disapprove the way Donald Trump is handling the following issues?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Approve 568 37 37 37
Disapprove 941 62 62 99
Skipped on web 14 1 1 100

D1: party ID

Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Republican 447 29 29 29
Democrat 548 36 36 65
Independent 384 25 25 91
Other/No preference 139 9 9 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 4 0 0 100

D2A: partisan strength (among partisans)

Would you call yourself a strong [Republican/Democrat] or a not very strong [Republican/Democrat]?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Strong 612 40 62 62
Not very strong 382 25 38 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 1 0 0 100
(Missing) 527 35 NA NA

D2B: partisan lean (among Independents)

Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Republican 150 10 28 28
Democratic 172 11 33 61
Neither 199 13 38 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 6 0 1 100
(Missing) 996 65 NA NA

D3: religious service attendance

Before the coronavirus pandemic, aside from weddings and funerals, how often did you attend religious services?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
More than once a week 141 9 9 9
Once a week 331 22 22 31
Once or twice a month 124 8 8 39
A few times a year 185 12 12 51
Seldom 325 21 21 73
Never 412 27 27 100
SKIPPED ON WEB 5 0 0 100

D4: religious preference

What is your religious preference?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Protestant 341 22 22 22
Roman Catholic 291 19 19 42
Other Christian Religion 374 25 25 66
Mormon/Latter-Day Saints 26 2 2 68
Jewish 26 2 2 69
Muslim/Islam 27 2 2 71
Other Non-Christian Religion 62 4 4 75
No Religion 360 24 24 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 16 1 1 100

D5: born-again or evangelical

Would you describe yourself as a "born-again" or evangelical Christian, or not?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Yes, would 396 26 54 54
No, would not 328 22 45 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 7 0 1 100
(Missing) 792 52 NA NA

D6: ideology

In general, would you describe your political views as…?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Very conservative 134 9 9 9
Conservative 374 25 25 33
Moderate 627 41 41 74
Liberal 251 16 16 91
Very liberal 120 8 8 99
SKIPPED ON WEB 18 1 1 100

party ID with leaners included as partisans

Party ID with leaners included
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Republican 597 39 39 39
Independent 201 13 13 52
Democrat 721 47 47 100
Refused 4 0 0 100