Marquette Law School Supreme Court Poll September 18-25, 2023

Court Items Only

(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.

C1: SCOTUS approval

Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way the US Supreme Court is handling its job?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly approve	94	9	9	9
Somewhat approve	338	34	34	43
Somewhat disapprove	319	32	32	75
Strongly disapprove	256	25	25	100

C1: SCOTUS approval (2-cat)

Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way the US Supreme Court is handling its job?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Approve	432	43	43	43
Disapprove	575	57	57	100

C3: Confidence in SCOTUS

[The US Supreme Court] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	67	7	7	7
Quite a lot	212	21	21	28
Some	376	37	37	65
Very little	245	24	24	89
None at all	106	11	11	100

C3: Confidence in Congress

[Congress] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	34	3	3	3
Quite a lot	89	9	9	12
Some	387	38	38	51
Very little	383	38	38	89
None at all	114	11	11	100

C4: Confidence in Presidency

[The Presidency] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	91	9	9	9
Quite a lot	146	15	15	24
Some	332	33	33	57
Very little	259	26	26	82
None at all	179	18	18	100

C5: Confidence in state Supreme Court

[Your state Supreme Court or highest court in your state] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	74	7	7	7
Quite a lot	229	23	23	30
Some	454	45	45	75
Very little	179	18	18	93
None at all	72	7	7	100

C6: Confidence in DOJ

[The U.S. Department of Justice] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	87	9	9	9
Quite a lot	211	21	21	30
Some	352	35	35	65
Very little	224	22	22	87
None at all	131	13	13	100
Skipped/Ref	2	0	0	100

C7: Confidence in juries

[Juries that decide guilt or innocence in criminal cases] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A great deal	110	11	11	11
Quite a lot	294	29	29	40
Some	410	41	41	81
Very little	148	15	15	96
None at all	45	4	4	100

C8: Justice nomination majority

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	56	6	6	6
Probably a majority appointed by Democratic presidents	202	20	20	26
Probably a majority appointed by Republican presidents	422	42	42	67
Definitely a majority appointed by Republican presidents	326	32	32	100
Skipped/Ref	1	0	0	100

C9: Heard about SCOTUS last month

Thinking about the last month only, how much have you heard or read about the U.S. Supreme Court?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A lot	169	17	17	17
A little	617	61	61	78
Nothing at all	221	22	22	100

C10: Justice motivations

In general, what most often motivates Supreme Court justices’ decisions?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Mainly politics	523	52	52	52
Mainly the law	482	48	48	100
Skipped/Ref	2	0	0	100

C11: Justice ethics/honesty

[U.S. Supreme Court Justices] Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields--very high, high, average, low, or very low?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Very high	66	7	7	7
High	236	23	23	30
Average	411	41	41	71
Low	196	19	19	90
Very low	98	10	10	100

C12: Increase # of justices

[Increase the number of justices on the US Supreme Court] How much do you favor or oppose the following proposals affecting the Supreme Court?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	142	14	14	14
Somewhat favor	403	40	40	54
Somewhat oppose	226	22	22	77
Strongly oppose	235	23	23	100

C13: Favor/oppose same-sex marriage

In 2015 the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. How much do you favor or oppose this decision?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	451	45	45	45
Somewhat favor	245	24	24	69
Somewhat oppose	153	15	15	84
Strongly oppose	159	16	16	100

C14: Favor/oppose LGBT workplace protections

In 2020 the Supreme Court ruled that a federal civil rights law protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. How much do you favor or oppose this decision?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	555	55	55	55
Somewhat favor	297	29	29	85
Somewhat oppose	97	10	10	94
Strongly oppose	58	6	6	100

C15: Favor/oppose overturn Roe

[In 2022 the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, thus striking down the 1973 decision that made abortion legal in all 50 states.] How much do you favor or oppose this decision?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	224	22	22	22
Somewhat favor	140	14	14	36
Somewhat oppose	135	13	13	50
Strongly oppose	508	50	50	100

C16: Favor/oppose expand 2nd Amendment to handguns

In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that, subject to some restrictions, the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home. How much do you favor or oppose this decision?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	398	40	40	40
Somewhat favor	247	25	25	64
Somewhat oppose	207	21	21	85
Strongly oppose	150	15	15	100
(Missing)	4	0	NA	NA

C17: Favor/oppose race in college admissions

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges cannot use race as a factor in deciding which applicants to admit. How much do you favor or oppose this decision?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Strongly favor	582	58	58	58
Somewhat favor	196	19	19	77
Somewhat oppose	148	15	15	92
Strongly oppose	80	8	8	100

E3: Heard about affirmative action case

[A Supreme Court case concerning the use of race in college admissions] Here are some recent topics in the news. How much have you heard or read about each of these?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A lot	317	31	31	31
A little	458	45	45	77
Nothing at all	232	23	23	100
Skipped/Ref	0	0	0	100

E5: Heard about Thomas financial disclosures

[News stories about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas submitting amended financial disclosure reports] Here are some recent topics in the news. How much have you heard or read about each of these?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
A lot	288	29	29	29
A little	323	32	32	61
Nothing at all	396	39	39	100

F1: SCOTUS ideology

[The US Supreme Court] In general, would you describe each of the following as…?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Very conservative	205	20	20	20
Somewhat conservative	375	37	37	58
Moderate	323	32	32	90
Somewhat liberal	74	7	7	97
Very liberal	29	3	3	100
Skipped/Ref	1	0	0	100

X1: Trust in government

How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right?...Just about always, most of the time, only some of the time, never?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Just about always	11	1	1	1
Most of the time	174	17	17	18
Only some of the time	648	64	64	83
Never	174	17	17	100

X2: Trust in others

Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or most people can't be trusted?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Most people can be trusted	528	52	52	52
Most people can't be trusted	479	48	48	100
(Missing)	1	0	NA	NA

INT1: internet use

Do you use the internet or email, at least occasionally?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Yes	1007	100	100	100

Z3: religious service attendance

Aside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
More than once a week	56	6	6	6
Once a week	154	15	15	21
Once or twice a month	67	7	7	28
A few times a year	170	17	17	44
Seldom	261	26	26	70
Never	299	30	30	100

Z4: 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	288	29	29	29
No, would not	717	71	71	100
Skipped/Ref	2	0	0	100

Z5: political ideology

Generally speaking, how would you describe your political views?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Very conservative	141	14	14	14
Somewhat conservative	231	23	23	37
Moderate	351	35	35	72
Somewhat liberal	156	15	15	87
Very liberal	127	13	13	100
Skipped/Ref	2	0	0	100

Z6: talk to neighbors

During the last 12 months, how often did you talk with any of your neighbors?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Basically, every day	64	6	6	6
A few times a week	287	28	28	35
A few times a month	276	27	27	62
Once a month	105	10	10	73
Less than once a month	175	17	17	90
Not at all	101	10	10	100

Z7: volunteering

We are interested in volunteer activities for which people are not paid, except perhaps expenses.  In the last 12 months, have you done any volunteer activities through or for an organization?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Yes	249	25	25	25
No	758	75	75	100

Z9: own or rent

Is your home owned or rented?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Owned	693	69	69	69
Rented	314	31	31	100

Z10: adults in household

Including yourself, how many adults age 18 or older are there living in your household?
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
1	172	17	17	17
2	530	53	53	70
3	183	18	18	88
4	77	8	8	95
5	24	2	2	98
6	16	2	2	99
7	2	0	0	100
8 or more	2	0	0	100
Skipped/Ref	2	0	0	100

party ID, 5-cat

Party ID with leaners separate
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Republican	328	33	33	33
Lean Republican	90	9	9	42
Independent	136	14	14	55
Lean Democrat	101	10	10	65
Democrat	351	35	35	100

party ID, leaners as partisans

Party ID with leaners included
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Republican	418	42	42	42
Independent	136	14	14	55
Democrat	453	45	45	100

gender

sex
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Male	484	48	48	48
Female	510	51	51	99
Another gender	7	1	1	99
Skipped/Ref	6	1	1	100

age

age, 4 categories
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
18-29	196	19	19	19
30-44	262	26	26	46
45-59	247	25	25	70
60+	301	30	30	100

education

education - 5 categories
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Less than HS	97	10	10	10
HS graduate	297	30	30	39
Vocational/tech school/some college/ associates	265	26	26	66
Bachelor's degree	162	16	16	82
Post grad study/professional degree	184	18	18	100
(Missing)	2	0	NA	NA

income

income recode
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Less than $30k	270	27	27	27
$30k to less than $50k	148	15	15	42
$50k to less than $75k	197	20	20	61
$75k to less than $100k	139	14	14	75
$100k or more	249	25	25	100
DK/NA/Ref	3	0	0	100

marital status

marital status
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Married	487	48	48	48
Widowed	51	5	5	53
Divorced	89	9	9	62
Separated	16	2	2	64
Single, never married	244	24	24	88
Single, cohabitating	119	12	12	100
Skipped/Ref	1	0	0	100

race/ethnicity

race and hispanic origin
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
White	616	61	61	61
Black	117	12	12	73
Hispanic	175	17	17	90
Other/Multiple	90	9	9	99
Skipped/Ref	10	1	1	100

religious affiliation

religious identification
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Born-again Protestant	230	23	23	23
Mainline Protestant	169	17	17	40
Roman Catholic	190	19	19	59
No religion	315	31	31	90
Other religion	99	10	10	100
Skipped/Ref	1	0	0	100
(Missing)	3	0	NA	NA