* Illinois Wesleyan University has a new statewide poll. Let’s first look at some of the political results.

Conducted by Illinois Wesleyan University Department of Political Science
October 15 – 18, 2007 Sample Size N = 395 (Confidence Interval +/- 5%)

2. Would you say that you generally approve or generally disapprove of the way that Rod Blagojevich is handling his job as governor of Illinois?

23% approve
60% disapprove
18% Other/undecided/NR

3. Would you say that you generally approve or generally disapprove of the way that Dick Durbin is handling his job as Senator from Illinois?

54% approve
22% disapprove
24% Other/undecided/NR

4. Would you say that you generally approve or generally disapprove of the way George Bush is handling his job as President?

21% approve
69% disapprove
10% Other/undecided/NR

5. If the upcoming elections for the U.S. Congress were being held today, who would you like to see win in your district, the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate?

49% Democratic candidate
27% Republican candidate
24% Undecided/NR

* The numbers reported yesterday in the Rasmussen poll aren’t the same, but it was a different kind of job approval question…

Blagojevich: 16% good or excellent; 83% fair or poor… Bush: 31% good or excellent; 68% fair or poor

* On to issues. This response was kinda surprising to me, considering how the politicians bloviate on the issue all the time…

7. An emerging national controversy is how to handle the large number of people who have been convicted of non-violent drug-related offenses. If two political candidates held the following views, which would you prefer to win?

25% Candidate ‘A’ says we should increase penalties and incarceration of these offenders
62% Candidate ‘B’ says we should not build more prisons but focus upon drug treatment programs
20% No preference/Undecided/NR
4% Other (specify response)

So, 82 percent either don’t want to build more prisons or have no preference? The vast majority appear to be either ambivalent about our current “lock ‘em up” policy or are against it. Wow.

* Just a third get their info about politics from the Internet…

1. Do you ever get news or information about political candidates and campaigns from the Internet?

33% Yes
66% No
1% Unsure/NR

* A big majority believes global warming is probably happening now…

8. How convinced are you that global warming or the greenhouse effect is actually happening – would you say you are completely convinced, mostly convinced, not so convinced or not at all convinced?

34% completely convinced
32% mostly convinced
16% not so convinced
13% not at all convinced
5% undecided/other/NR

* Pretty big “liberal” majorities on hot-button issues…

13. Would you say that you generally support or generally oppose government funding for medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos?

63% generally support
27% generally oppose
10% depends/undecided/NR

14. Which comes closest to your view - Gay couples should be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry, or there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?

28% Allowed to legally marry
27% civil unions
34% no legal recognition
11% other/undecided/NR

15. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that a woman has right to an abortion if she chooses at any time during the first three months of pregnancy. Would you say that you generally favor or oppose that ruling?

58% favor
34% oppose
8% undecided/other/NR

* Iraq…

9. In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?

59% Yes, a mistake
33% No, not a mistake
8% other/undecided/NR

10. Should the U.S. troops in Iraq stay as long as it takes to make sure Iraq is a stable democracy, or should U.S. troops leave as soon as possible, even if Iraq is not completely stable?

33% stay as long as it takes
52% leave as soon as possible
15% other/undecided/NR

More tomorrow.

Discuss.