MILWAUKEE — Marquette University Law School will release the results of two national surveys of public opinion over two days, Sept. 22-23, via video conversations between poll director Charles Franklin and Mike Gousha.

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the Marquette Law School Poll will release results pertaining to public opinion about the U.S. Supreme Court. This is the second installment in a series of six 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, Sept. 23. This poll looks at public opinion about the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the COVID-19 situation and President Joe Biden.

Each video and corresponding release and data will be available at 6 a.m. EDT (5 a.m. CDT) on the Marquette Law School Poll website. Embargoed releases of national surveys are available to members of the media that 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, Sept. 22

How have views of the Court shifted since July in the wake of several important decisions issued in August and early September? In July, approval of the Court was nearly identical among Democrats and Republicans, but is that still the case? This poll looks at how the public reacted to rulings whose effects were to reinstate the President Trump-era policy of “remain in Mexico” for asylum seekers and to block extending a moratorium on evictions. With the Court’s annual term about to begin, the survey encompasses opinions on a number of cases set for argument, including those involving gun rights, religious liberty, and abortion rights, as well as potential cases on state oversight of elections, affirmative action, and the ability of social media companies to exclude public officials from their platforms. Looking back, how do respondents think the Court’s rulings have affected rights of LGBT people, religious liberty, voting rights, abortion rights and the interests of other groups over the past 15 years or so?

National poll on political topics – Thursday, Sept. 23

Following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, this poll looks at views of the 20-year U.S. involvement there, the withdrawal of forces and whether to accept Afghan refugees into the U.S. Assessments of how President Biden handled the withdrawal, as well as his overall job performance, are also included. The survey also asks about the rise of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, how respondents see the situation in their states, Biden’s handling of the pandemic, and their own vaccination status and willingness to be vaccinated. Support and opposition to mask mandates in schools and vaccination requirements in universities are also measured. The survey also looks at public views of the 2020 presidential election and how the courts handled litigation concerning the election. The poll also looks at how much respondents trust other people, talk to neighbors and trust the federal government.

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 a 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.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email