MILWAUKEE — Marquette University Law School will release the results of two national surveys of public opinion over two days, Nov. 17-18, via video conversations between poll director Charles Franklin and Mike Gousha.
On Wednesday, Nov. 17, the Marquette Law School Poll will release results pertaining to public opinion about the U.S. Supreme Court. This is the fifth installment in a series of nationwide surveys measuring public perception and awareness of the nation’s highest court.
Franklin will then share findings in the Law School Poll’s national query into general topics on Thursday, Nov. 18. This release looks at public opinion of President Joe Biden’s job performance, COVID-19 issues and possible 2024 presidential candidacy for former President Donald Trump.
Each video and corresponding release and data will be available at 6 a.m. EST (5 a.m. CST) on the Marquette Law School Poll website. Embargoed releases of national surveys are available to members of the media who formally register their interest in advance online and agree to stated embargo policies.
Interviews with Dr. Franklin are available on request following the poll’s releases.
U.S. Supreme Court poll – Wednesday, Nov. 17
Approval of the Supreme Court dropped from August to September in Marquette Law School’s national polling. How has approval shifted in the last two months? The November Supreme Court survey looks at approval of the Court and trust in it compared to the other branches of the federal government. The survey asked about views of cases concerning the Texas law known as SB8, concerning abortion, and about the right to bear arms outside the home. The survey also asked about views of the upcoming case of a Mississippi law restricting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In addition to these current cases, respondents shared views of several potential Court reforms, and their familiarity with the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. This survey also measures perceptions of the ideological balance of the Court and whether decisions are based more on politics or more on the law, as well as how aware the public is of how many justices have been appointed by presidents of each party.
National poll on political topics – Thursday, Nov. 18
This release looks at President Biden’s job approval rating and how that has changed since September, as well as approval of his handling of the COVID-19 situation. At a time of generally declining COVID cases, the survey also asks respondents how serious they think the pandemic is in their states now and about their own vaccination status and willingness to be vaccinated. Support and opposition to vaccination requirements for companies with more than 100 employees are also measured.
Looking at the role of former President Donald Trump in future elections, the survey asks if respondents would like to see him run again in 2024 and if they currently prefer Trump or Biden in a possible rematch. The poll also measures favorability towards Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence, as well as toward Biden and Trump. Respondents were also asked about confidence in the accuracy of the election outcome in 2020 and perceptions of the ideological positions of Biden and of the Democratic and Republican parties.
The Marquette Law School Poll is the most extensive statewide polling project in Wisconsin history. Since 2019, the Law School’s surveys of national public opinion about the U.S. Supreme Court also have expanded the work of the poll both geographically and to a new set of topics of broad importance. Franklin has directed the poll since its inception in 2012 and is a professor of law and public policy at Marquette Law School. His scholarly articles on partisanship, public opinion, the Supreme Court and U.S. Senate elections have appeared in major journals and as book chapters. He is a past president of the Society for Political Methodology and an elected fellow of the society. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan.
Gousha, an award-winning broadcast journalist, is distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. His “On the Issues” series of conversations with newsmakers supports Marquette Law School’s commitment to serve as a modern-day public square for the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin and beyond.
