December 3, 2015 - Homegrown Jihadists More Dangerous Than Refugees, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; U.S., Other Countries Must Do More On Climate Change PDF format Additional Trend Information Homegrown jihadists are a greater threat to the U.S., 58 percent of American voters say in a Quinnipiac University National poll released today, while 16 percent say terrorists hiding among Syrian refugees are a greater threat. Another 17 percent most fear radicalized foreign visitors. American voters oppose 52 - 42 percent accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S., the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds. Democrats would accept refugees 68 - 23 percent, with Republicans opposed 84 - 14 percent. Independent voters are divided as 46 percent support accepting refugees with 49 percent opposed. Opinions on security screening for Syrian refugees depends on how much voters know: With no description of the current screening process, half of the respondents were asked if screening should be stricter: 69 percent say stricter while 24 percent say the process is about right. Among the half of respondents who received a description of the current screening process, 53 percent say it should be stricter and 41 percent say it is about right. "It takes time and meticulous vetting to be accepted as a Syrian refugee. Voters who know that are far more accepting than those who may not understand the process," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "And Americans are far more concerned about the threat from within, homegrown terrorists, than they are about someone being welcomed to the U.S. as a refugee and committing an act of terror." A total of 83 percent of American voters say a major terrorist attack in the U.S. in the near future is "very likely" or "somewhat likely." Government anti-terror policies have not gone far enough to protect the country, 61 percent of American voters say, while 27 percent say anti-terror policies have gone too far in restricting civil liberties. "Not if, but when, say Americans when asked about the likelihood of a terrorist attack on the U.S.," Malloy said. "More than 80 percent say it's likely and a large majority says the government isn't doing enough to prevent it." American voters support 77 - 18 percent changing gun laws to ban people on the government's terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. Support is 73 percent or higher among all party, gender, ethnic, education and age groups. Voters support 54 - 41 percent sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria and say 62 - 23 percent the U.S. and its allies are losing the war against ISIS. Climate Change A total of 65 percent of American voters are "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about climate change. The U.S. must do more to address climate change, 57 percent of voters say, while 21 percent say the U.S. is doing enough and 17 percent say the country is doing too much. Other countries must do more on climate change, 72 percent of American voters say, as 10 percent say other countries are doing enough and 5 percent say they are doing too much. Approval of President Obama, Congress The wide gender gap continues as President Barack Obama gets a negative 44 - 51 percent job approval rating. Women are divided as 49 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove. Men disapprove 58 - 39 percent. Voters disapprove 79 - 15 percent of the job Republicans in Congress are doing and disapprove 65 - 27 percent of Democrats in Congress. American voters are divided on who they trust more to make decisions that are good for the country as 46 percent trust President Obama and 43 percent trust Republicans in Congress. From November 23 - 30, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,453 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research. For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter @QuinnipiacPoll. 25. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 44% 9% 83% 41% 39% 49% 48% 42% Disapprove 51 89 12 54 58 45 48 53 DK/NA 4 2 5 5 3 6 4 4 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 51% 49% 45% 34% 31% 38% 34% 83% 77% Disapprove 44 48 52 60 67 55 61 15 19 DK/NA 5 4 3 6 2 7 4 2 4 26. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 15% 31% 5% 10% 15% 16% 12% 17% Disapprove 79 62 93 84 81 77 83 77 DK/NA 6 7 2 6 4 7 4 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 15% 15% 15% 17% 15% 18% 17% 11% 10% Disapprove 78 82 80 77 81 75 78 85 82 DK/NA 8 3 5 6 4 8 6 4 8 27. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 27% 6% 56% 22% 24% 31% 25% 28% Disapprove 65 89 36 71 71 60 70 63 DK/NA 7 4 9 7 5 10 5 8 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 28% 33% 27% 22% 20% 23% 22% 58% 43% Disapprove 61 61 66 72 75 68 72 36 47 DK/NA 11 6 7 6 5 8 7 7 9 28. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Very satisfied 2% 1% 5% 2% 3% 2% 2% 3% Smwht satisfied 26 9 44 26 25 27 27 25 Smwht dissatisfied 31 25 38 29 29 32 35 29 Very dissatisfied 40 65 12 43 42 38 35 43 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 1 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very satisfied 3% 4% 2% 2% 2% 1% 2% 8% 2% Smwht satisfied 30 30 23 20 21 23 22 41 42 Smwht dissatisfied 38 28 30 29 29 33 31 33 33 Very dissatisfied 28 38 44 48 47 43 45 17 23 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 29. Who do you trust more to make decisions that are good for the country, President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Obama 46% 6% 88% 43% 41% 51% 52% 43% Reps in Congress 43 87 6 38 48 37 40 44 DK/NA 12 7 7 19 11 12 8 13 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Obama 51% 50% 47% 36% 33% 40% 36% 83% 73% Reps in Congress 35 45 42 49 56 46 51 11 15 DK/NA 14 6 11 15 11 14 13 6 12 30. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the economy? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 47% 12% 83% 46% 43% 51% 52% 44% Disapprove 49 87 14 49 54 44 45 51 DK/NA 4 1 3 6 3 5 3 4 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 56% 52% 47% 34% 36% 41% 38% 82% 68% Disapprove 37 46 52 61 61 53 57 18 26 DK/NA 8 2 1 5 4 5 4 - 6 31. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - foreign policy? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 34% 5% 66% 31% 28% 41% 40% 32% Disapprove 60 91 25 64 69 51 56 62 DK/NA 6 3 9 5 4 8 5 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 39% 35% 38% 25% 23% 31% 27% 74% 51% Disapprove 56 58 58 68 75 62 69 23 36 DK/NA 5 7 4 7 2 7 4 3 13 32. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - terrorism? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 38% 8% 69% 37% 34% 42% 43% 36% Disapprove 56 90 23 57 62 50 53 58 DK/NA 6 2 8 6 3 8 4 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 45% 39% 40% 30% 28% 33% 31% 75% 54% Disapprove 49 56 56 63 69 60 65 15 41 DK/NA 6 6 5 7 3 6 5 10 6 73. How concerned are you about climate change; very concerned, somewhat concerned, not so concerned, or not concerned at all? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Very concerned 32% 9% 55% 30% 27% 36% 37% 29% Somewhat concerned 33 26 34 37 31 34 31 33 Not so concerned 14 22 5 15 17 10 16 12 Not concerned at all 21 42 6 18 24 19 16 24 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - - 1 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very concerned 36% 33% 29% 29% 24% 35% 30% 33% 47% Somewhat concerned 36 32 34 26 29 30 30 51 33 Not so concerned 13 14 12 15 19 12 16 4 7 Not concerned at all 13 20 24 29 26 22 24 12 12 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 74. Do you think other countries are doing enough to address climate change, doing too much, or do you think more needs to be done to address climate change? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Doing enough 10% 14% 6% 10% 10% 9% 12% 9% Doing too much 5 10 - 6 8 3 5 6 More to be done 72 57 85 73 71 73 74 71 DK/NA 13 19 9 11 11 15 9 15 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Doing enough 11% 10% 10% 7% 10% 11% 10% 7% 7% Doing too much 3 7 6 6 10 4 7 1 2 More to be done 77 69 72 67 69 70 70 73 83 DK/NA 8 13 12 20 11 15 13 19 7 75. Do you think the United States is doing enough to address climate change, doing too much, or do you think more needs to be done to address climate change? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Doing enough 21% 34% 11% 20% 23% 19% 22% 21% Doing too much 17 33 3 14 22 11 14 18 More to be done 57 26 83 62 50 64 62 55 DK/NA 5 6 3 4 4 6 2 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Doing enough 20% 21% 23% 21% 25% 23% 24% 9% 14% Doing too much 8 14 19 25 25 13 19 7 11 More to be done 67 62 54 47 46 58 52 75 75 DK/NA 5 3 4 8 3 5 4 9 - 76. Do you support or oppose accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S.? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Support 42% 14% 68% 46% 41% 44% 59% 34% Oppose 52 84 23 49 55 48 37 59 DK/NA 6 3 9 6 5 8 4 7 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Support 51% 44% 42% 34% 39% 41% 40% 49% 57% Oppose 41 51 53 60 57 52 54 43 33 DK/NA 8 5 5 7 4 7 5 8 10 77. (Split Sample) Do you think the security screening process for Syrian refugees entering the US should be made stricter, less strict, or is it about right? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Stricter 69% 91% 51% 67% 72% 67% 56% 76% Less strict 1 - 1 - - 1 2 - About right 24 6 39 28 23 25 32 20 DK/NA 6 2 8 4 5 7 10 4 AGE IN YRS.............. 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Stricter 57% 75% 67% 75% Less strict - 1 1 1 About right 29 19 30 18 DK/NA 13 5 3 6 78. (Split Sample) As you may know, Syrian refugees are required to go through a security screening process before entering the United States. This process includes multiple background checks, finger-printings, interviews, and approval by the Department of Homeland Security. Do you think the security screening process for Syrian refugees entering the U.S. should be made stricter, less strict, or is it about right? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Stricter 53% 80% 34% 44% 53% 52% 41% 59% Less strict 3 - 3 7 2 4 5 2 About right 41 18 63 44 40 42 50 37 DK/NA 3 2 - 5 5 2 5 2 AGE IN YRS.............. 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Stricter 31% 52% 57% 70% Less strict 4 5 3 1 About right 61 41 37 25 DK/NA 4 2 3 3 79. What concerns you more about the government's anti-terrorism policies, that they have gone too far in restricting the average person's civil liberties, or that they have not gone far enough to adequately protect the country? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Gone too far 27% 11% 37% 33% 30% 25% 31% 26% Not gone far enough 61 82 50 55 59 64 56 64 DK/NA 11 7 13 12 11 12 13 10 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Gone too far 42% 29% 26% 13% 28% 23% 25% 34% 34% Not gone far enough 47 62 63 73 61 66 63 55 57 DK/NA 11 9 12 14 11 11 11 11 9 80. How likely do you think it is that in the near future there will be a terrorist attack in the United States causing large numbers of lives to be lost; very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not likely at all? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Very likely 44% 62% 29% 40% 45% 43% 35% 49% Smwht likely 39 32 46 41 38 39 45 36 Not very likely 11 3 17 14 11 11 16 9 Not likely at all 3 1 5 3 3 3 3 3 DK/NA 3 1 3 3 2 4 2 3 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very likely 31% 46% 48% 51% 48% 49% 48% 26% 35% Smwht likely 49 32 39 35 37 36 37 46 48 Not very likely 11 15 9 10 11 9 10 17 9 Not likely at all 5 4 2 2 2 2 2 9 4 DK/NA 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 4 81. Which do you think poses a greater terrorist threat to the U.S., terrorists hiding among Syrian refugees, radicalized foreign visitors or so-called "homegrown jihadists"? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Terrorist refugees 16% 20% 13% 14% 13% 18% 9% 19% Radicalized visitors 17 20 15 16 20 15 21 15 Homegrown jihadists 58 52 65 60 59 57 64 55 DK/NA 9 8 8 10 8 10 6 10 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Terrorist refugees 17% 14% 18% 15% 13% 17% 15% 22% 13% Radicalized visitors 25 20 15 11 19 17 18 7 22 Homegrown jihadists 51 56 61 63 62 56 59 66 49 DK/NA 8 10 5 12 6 11 8 5 15 82. Do you support or oppose changing current gun laws to ban those on the U.S. government's terrorist watch list from purchasing guns? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Support 77% 76% 83% 73% 75% 79% 82% 75% Oppose 18 20 14 20 21 15 13 20 DK/NA 5 4 3 7 5 6 5 5 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Support 77% 81% 76% 74% 76% 79% 78% 76% 80% Oppose 16 15 19 21 21 14 18 19 19 DK/NA 7 4 6 5 3 7 5 5 1 83. Would you support or oppose the U.S. sending ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Support 54% 71% 39% 53% 59% 48% 49% 56% Oppose 41 23 56 42 36 45 46 38 DK/NA 6 5 5 6 5 7 5 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Support 47% 62% 54% 51% 60% 52% 56% 46% 40% Oppose 44 34 43 41 35 41 38 51 55 DK/NA 9 4 3 7 5 6 6 3 5 84. Do you think the United States and its allies are winning or losing the fight against ISIS? COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Winning 23% 12% 36% 20% 24% 21% 24% 22% Losing 62 79 43 66 63 61 63 61 DK/NA 16 9 22 14 13 18 12 17 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Winning 29% 21% 26% 14% 22% 18% 20% 33% 29% Losing 53 68 59 67 67 65 66 50 42 DK/NA 18 12 15 18 11 16 14 17 29 Sample and Methodology detail
