PublicMind Polling, Surveys, Market Analysis
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For immediate release Thursday, May 8 6 pp.
Contact: Krista Jenkins 908.328.8967 (cell) or 973.443.8390 (office) kjenkins@fdu.edu
Americans bluntly say they’d prefer pot over a bet, according to the most recent national survey from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind. By a ratio of more than two-to-one, Americans say legalized marijuana (52%) is preferable to online gambling (20%). Moreover, trend data back to 2010 suggests attitudes toward the legalization of Internet gambling have remained relatively constant.
Although only three states currently permit online gambling (New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada), it has been reported that as many as ten states are considering legalization. A majority of Americans are not following news about the issue very closely (65%), but when asked if they favor or oppose allowing casinos to run online gambling for people in their states, two thirds (63%) are opposed, with a quarter (27%) who approve. These numbers are largely unchanged from when similar questions were asked in 2012 and 2010. In 2012, 27 percent of respondents said they favored legalized online gaming with 60 percent opposed; in 2010 a fifth (21%) were supportive compared with 67 percent who were opposed.
The gender gap also remains static on the issue. Although majorities of both men and women oppose legalized online bets, it’s received more warmly among men relative to women. A third of men (34%) say they favor legalization compared with a fifth of women (20%). In 2012 the split was 36 to 19 percent, and in 2010 it was 29 to 14 percent.
“More and more states may be considering it, but the public doesn’t seem to be buying it. Right now, online gambling looks to be a long shot in the court of public opinion,” said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind and professor of political science.
In contrast, far more Americans are paying attention to news on marijuana legalization in various states across the country as compared to online gambling. Almost nine-in-ten Americans (86%) say they’ve heard or read a lot or some about legalization, with the majority (58%) who express the most attentiveness. Add to this the sizable number of Americans who say they favor legalized recreational marijuana (50%), and it’s clear that they’re far more comfortable with allowing this vice to come out of the shadows than legalized online betting.
“These two issues are very similar in that both internet gambling and marijuana use is taking place whether regulated or not, but Americans do not have the appetite or munchies for legalizing Internet gambling as they do for marijuana,” said Jenkins.
New Jersey legalized Internet gaming despite repeated polls by FDU showing the public opposed to it. Meanwhile New Jersey and many other states have not legalized marijuana despite polls that show support for it. “This is a disconnect between public opinion and public policy,” noted Jenkins.
Legalized marijuana strikes a more divisive chord relative to online gambling. By a ratio of two to one, Democrats (63%) favor legalization more than Republicans (32%), with independents (58%) more closely aligned with Democrats. Young people are also far more supportive of legalization, with 65 percent of the Millennial generation and over half of GenXers (56%) in favor compared with fewer than half (48%) of Boomers and around a third (36%) of the World War II generation.
“Democrats see getting high as a lifestyle choice whereas Republicans are more likely to understand it through the prism of morality and social deviance,” said Jenkins. “However, the age differences we’re seeing suggests that legal smoking up in the future is more a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if.’”
When given a choice between the legalization of marijuana or online gambling, half of Americans would choose recreational marijuana (52%) with less than half that number (20%) who would prefer gambling. Opinion is fairly clear among Democrats, with 64 percent who like pot over bets, but Republicans are more mixed. Around a third (29%) of Republicans say gambling is preferred while two-fifths (39%) prefer marijuana more. A fifth of Republicans (22%) say neither should be legalized and couldn’t choose between the two.
“Republicans are clearly uncomfortable with any legislation that normalizes something that’s been considered bad for you for so long. Although the 1980s sound like ancient history to many, Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ campaign remains a concise way of describing Republican attitudes toward pot and gambling,” said Jenkins.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 1151 adults aged 18 and older who reside in the United States was conducted by telephone with both landline and cell phones from April 21 through April 27, 2014 and has a margin of error of +/ 2.9 percentage points.
Methodology, questions, and tables on the web at: http://publicmind.fdu.edu
Radio actualities at 201.692.2846 For more information, please call 201.692.7032
Tables
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There has been movement by some states to make it legal for casinos to provide on-line, or internet, gambling for its residents. Have much have you heard or read about this…? |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
PID |
Gender |
Race |
Age |
|||||||
|
|
All |
Dem |
Ind |
Rep |
Men |
Women |
White |
Non-white |
18-29 |
30-44 |
45-59 |
60+ |
|
A lot |
15% |
16 |
13 |
14 |
18 |
12 |
12 |
22 |
12 |
16 |
20 |
12 |
|
Some |
19% |
18 |
21 |
19 |
20 |
17 |
19 |
16 |
11 |
17 |
21 |
26 |
|
Just a little |
21% |
20 |
19 |
24 |
19 |
24 |
23 |
18 |
18 |
22 |
21 |
26 |
|
Nothing at all |
44% |
45 |
46 |
42 |
42 |
46 |
45 |
43 |
59 |
45 |
38 |
35 |
|
DK/Ref (vol) |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
1 |
|
Do you favor or oppose allowing casinos to run online gambling for people in their states? |
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
PID |
Gender |
Race |
Marijuana legalization? |
Age |
||||||||
|
|
All |
Dem |
Ind |
Rep |
Men |
Women |
White |
Non-white |
Favor |
Oppose |
18-29 |
30-44 |
45-59 |
60+ |
|
Favor |
27% |
27 |
30 |
24 |
34 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
41 |
12 |
38 |
37 |
20 |
15 |
|
Oppose |
63% |
64 |
56 |
66 |
56 |
69 |
64 |
60 |
50 |
80 |
49 |
50 |
71 |
77 |
|
DK/Ref (vol) |
10% |
9 |
15 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
13 |
14 |
8 |
8 |
|
2012: And how about online gambling. Do you favor or oppose allowing states to run betting games online, over the Internet? |
|||
|
|
All |
Gender |
|
|
|
|
Men |
Women |
|
Favor |
27% |
36 |
19 |
|
Oppose |
60% |
53 |
67 |
|
Neither |
5% |
5 |
5 |
|
Unsure |
7% |
6 |
9 |
|
Refused |
- |
1 |
- |
|
2010: Currently, it is not legal in the U.S. to place bets over the internet. So you support or oppose changing the law to allow people to place bets over the Internet? |
|||
|
|
All |
Gender |
|
|
|
|
Men |
Women |
|
Support |
21% |
29 |
14 |
|
Oppose |
67% |
61 |
73 |
|
D/K |
11% |
10 |
13 |
|
Some states have legalized small quantities of marijuana for recreational use. How much have you heard or read about this? |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
PID |
Gender |
Race |
Age |
|||||||
|
|
All |
Dem |
Ind |
Rep |
Men |
Women |
White |
Non-white |
18-29 |
30-44 |
45-59 |
60+ |
|
A lot |
58% |
60 |
56 |
56 |
59 |
57 |
56 |
64 |
64 |
55 |
60 |
55 |
|
Some |
28% |
26 |
29 |
32 |
27 |
30 |
31 |
22 |
25 |
29 |
27 |
31 |
|
Just a little |
10% |
11 |
11 |
10 |
12 |
9 |
10 |
12 |
8 |
12 |
11 |
9 |
|
Nothing at all |
3% |
3 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
|
DK/Ref (vol) |
-% |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
|
Do you favor or oppose legalizing of small quantities of marijuana for recreational use? |
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
PID |
Gender |
Race |
Online gambling? |
Age |
||||||||
|
|
All |
Dem |
Ind |
Rep |
Men |
Women |
White |
Non-white |
Favor |
Oppose |
18-29 |
30-44 |
45-59 |
60+ |
|
Favor |
50% |
63 |
58 |
32 |
54 |
47 |
49 |
55 |
77 |
40 |
65 |
56 |
48 |
36 |
|
Oppose |
44% |
33 |
37 |
62 |
41 |
48 |
46 |
40 |
19 |
56 |
30 |
37 |
47 |
59 |
|
DK/Ref (vol) |
6% |
4 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
|
If you had to choose, which of the following would you prefer to see legalized everywhere? Online gambling or small quantities of marijuana? [ROTATE] |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
PID |
Gender |
Race |
Age |
|||||||
|
|
All |
Dem |
Ind |
Rep |
Men |
Women |
White |
Non-white |
18-29 |
30-44 |
45-59 |
60+ |
|
Online Gambling |
20% |
17 |
15 |
29 |
22 |
19 |
20 |
24 |
26 |
20 |
19 |
19 |
|
Marijuana |
52% |
64 |
52 |
39 |
52 |
52 |
53 |
50 |
62 |
53 |
53 |
42 |
|
Both |
4% |
4 |
7 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
3 |
1 |
|
Neither |
18% |
12 |
23 |
22 |
17 |
20 |
19 |
17 |
8 |
15 |
22 |
26 |
|
DK/Ref (vol) |
5% |
4 |
4 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
11 |
Exact Question Wording and Order
US1 through US3 released May 5
ACA1 through ACA3 released May 5
CC1 through CC2 released April 29
HERO1 through HERO3 withheld
RENT1A and RENT1B withheld
[ROTATE VICE 1 THRU 4, BUT KEEP 1 AND 2, 3 AND 4 TOGETHER, IN THEIR
SEQUENTIAL ORDER]
VICE1 There has been movement by some states to make it legal for casinos to provide on-line, or internet, gambling for its residents. Have much have you heard or read about this…?
1 A lot
2 Some
3 A little
4 Nothing at all
8 DK/Ref
VICE2 Do you favor or oppose allowing casinos to run online gambling for people in their states?
1 Favor
2 Oppose
8 DK/Ref
VICE3 Some states have legalized small quantities of marijuana for recreational use. How much have you heard or read about this?
1 A lot
2 Some
3 A little
4 Nothing at all
8 DK/Ref
VICE4 Do you favor or oppose legalizing of small quantities of marijuana for recreational use?
1 Favor
2 Oppose
8 DK/Ref
VICE5 If you had to choose, which of the following would you prefer to see legalized everywhere? Online gambling or small quantities of marijuana? [ROTATE]
1 Online gambling
2 Marijuana
8 DK/Ref
|
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|
Sample characteristics N = 1151; MoE = +/- 2.9 |
|
Gender |
Male |
49% |
|
|
Female |
51% |
|
Age |
18-29 |
22% |
|
|
30-44 |
25% |
|
|
45-59 |
28% |
|
|
60+ |
24% |
|
|
Refused |
1% |
|
Race |
White |
69% |
|
|
African American |
12% |
|
|
Hispanic |
12% |
|
|
Asian |
2% |
|
|
Other/Refused |
4% |
|
Party (with leaners) |
Dem |
41% |
|
|
Ind/DK/Refused |
24% |
|
|
Repub |
34% |