VPR – Vermont PBS Poll: October 2018

Do you approve of how the president and governor are handling their jobs? If the elections were held today, how would you vote for governor, US Senator and a number of other statewide offices? To what extent do you think racism is a problem in Vermont, and which expenses create the greatest financial stress in your life?

The VPRVermont PBS Poll asked hundreds of Vermonters these questions and more. Find out where your neighbors stand on the candidates and the issues.

Note: This is the second of two polls conducted in 2018 by VPR & Vermont PBS. The first was conducted and released in July 2018 and is available at this link.

The Poll Results: At-A-Glance

Q1. How closely do you follow news about national and state politics? Would you say very closely, somewhat closely, not very much, or not at all?

35%  Very closely36%  Somewhat closely19%  Not very much8%   Not at all1%   Don’t know/Refused606  Total Respondents

The full survey has a sampling error of 4%; this varies with the total respondents. See the Appendix below for the details on the sample and methods.

Q2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President?

24%   Approve59%   Disapprove14%   Not Sure/No Opinion2%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Phil Scott is handling his job as Governor of Vermont?

45%   Approve26%   Disapprove28%   Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q4. Have you already voted in the general election through early voting?

11%   Yes86%   No2%    Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q5. How likely are you to vote in the November 6th election? Would you say you definitely will vote, probably will vote, probably will not vote, or definitely will not vote?

65%   Definitely will vote19%   Probably will vote8%    Probably will not vote5%    Definitely will not vote2%    Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused542   Total Respondents

Q6.  If the election for Vermont’s Governor were held today, would you vote for…

42%   Republican Phil Scott28%   Democrat Christine Hallquist1%    Independent Trevor Barlow1%    Independent Cris Ericson1%    Independent Charles Laramie1%    Liberty Union candidate Emily Peyton0%    Earth Rights candidate Stephen Marx3%    None/Write in/Other22%   Not sure/No opinion495   Total Respondents

Q7. If the election for Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor were held today, would you vote for…

30%   Republican Don Turner47%   Democrat Progressive David Zuckerman3%    Liberty Union candidate Murray Ngoima1%    None/Write in/Other20%   Not sure/No opinion496   Total Respondents

Q8. If the election for US Senate were held today, would you vote for…

60%   Independent Bernie Sanders19%   Republican Lawrence Zupan0%    Independent Folasade Adeluola1%    Independent Russell Beste1%    Independent Bruce Busa1%    Liberty Union candidate Reid Kane1%    Independent Brad Peacock0%    Independent Jon Svitavsky3%    None/Write in/Other16%   Not sure/No opinion498   Total Respondents

Q9. If the election for US House of Representatives were held today, would you vote for…

55%   Democrat Peter Welch18%   Republican Anya Tynio3%    Independent Cris Ericson3%    Liberty Union candidate Laura Potter    1%    None/Write in/Other20%   Not sure/No opinion497   Total Respondents

Q10. If the election for Vermont Attorney General were held today, would you vote for…

56%   Democrat T.J. Donovan17%   Republican Jannsen Willhoit3%    Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski    3%    None/Write in/Other22%   Not sure/No opinion496   Total Respondents

Q11. If the election for Vermont Secretary of State were held today, would you vote for…

45%   Democrat Jim Condos22%   Republican Brooke Paige3%    Liberty Union Mary Alice Herbert    2%    None/Write in/Other28%   Not sure/No opinion496   Total Respondents

Q12. Would you favor or oppose a payroll tax of roughly $70 per person a year, if the revenue were to provide new parents with up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 70% of their salary upon the birth of a child?

46%   Favor34%   Oppose19%   Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q13. To what extent do you think racism is a problem in Vermont today? Would you say it is a big problem, somewhat of a problem, a small problem, or no problem at all?

17%   Big problem36%   Somewhat problem27%   Small problem16%   No problem at all4%    Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q14. Do you think too little, just enough, or too much is being done to bring attention to racial issues in Vermont today?

40%   Too little29%   Just enough13%   Too much18%   Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

For each idea, please say if you think it would help a lot, help some, or help very little in making Vermont more affordable.

606 Total Respondents

Q20. Consider your regular living expenses. Which single expense creates the most financial stress in your life?

18%   Taxes32%   Housing costs (e.g. rent or mortgage)6%    Child care8%    Education1%    Eldercare15%   Health care costs (include prescriptions)4%    Transportation7%    Other8%    Not sure/No opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q21. Thinking about your plans for the next five years, are you planning on staying in Vermont or moving elsewhere?

77%   Staying in Vermont16%   Moving elsewhere7%    Not Sure/No Opinion0%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q22. Have you personally experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in a Vermont workplace or institution?

26%   Yes70%   No3%    Not Sure/No Opinion0%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Q23. Looking back on all you know at this time, do you think the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court was the right choice or a poor choice?

28%   Right choice54%   Poor choice17%   Not Sure/No Opinion1%    Refused606   Total Respondents

Full Results, Method, Sampling Error & Survey

Download the Poll Data, Methodology, Sampling Error, Weighted Data & Survey Instrument

Attribution & Credit

Attribution

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Credit

The VPR – Vermont PBS Poll is a collaboration between Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS and was made possible by our supporters. Braun Research conducted the poll under the direction of Dr. Richard Clark.