| Question |
Answer |
VoteMatch results
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Below are the summary results of our VoteMatch 20-question political quiz,
with analysis of the responses in terms of McCain's & Obama's stances from
the 2008 elections. This data represents 15,800 VoteMatch quiz responses in the
period January 1 through Dec. 31, 2008. Click on the links below for excerpts
on each topic, or click for a summary of
Obama's VoteMatch answers and
McCain's VoteMatch answers, with headlines evidencing how we concluded
their answer to each question. Click on the "analysis" link to see background
and details about the question.
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Abortion is a Woman's Right |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 59%
agree with Obama's pro-choice
stance, and only 34% with
McCain's pro-life stance. This issue has the fewest people answering "no
opinion" of any VoteMatch issue (only 7%), which reflects the fact that it is
overwhelmingly the issue with the most voter interest (as indicated by our
viewership statistics). Click for all candidates' headlines on
abortion or for background
information.
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Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Obama
supports
Affirmative Action but questions its effectiveness; McCain supports
Affirmative Access with more focus on process than outcome. Note that
our question specifies REQUIREMENT: 39% support that, and 45% oppose it. (This
has changed from 35% support and 51% oppose in 2003-2004, the largest shift for
any question which had identical wording then). Click for all candidates'
headlines on Civil Rights or for
background information.
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Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 61%
agree with Obama's
relatively pro-gay leave-it-to-the-states stance, and 25% with
McCain's Defense-of-Marriage stance. The response pattern indicates a
divisive issue: both "strongly" bars are larger than their corresponding
non-strong bars. The "strongly support" bar has the highest response of any
quiz question (and has grown since 2003-2004) -- this is attributable to the
growing interest and growing divisiveness in this topic due to the advent of
same-sex marriages. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Civil Rights or for
background information.
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Permit Prayer In Public Schools |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: It's
difficult to decode the candidates's stances on religious issues, since both
are wary of issues of separation of church and state, and neither wants to be
seen as anti-religion. But McCain is considerably more willing to federally fund
values education, which the results above would imply are supported by
49% of voters. 37% oppose school prayer, which implies a closer match to
Obama's "no" vote on voluntary prayer. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Education or for headlines on
Values.
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Death Penalty |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: McCain
supports the death penalty, and Obama is opposed. McCain's
fervent support is backed up by 49% of voters. Obama's
opposition is backed by 38% of voters (a shift from 47%-43% in
2003-2004). Click for all candidates' headlines on Crime
or for background information.
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Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: McCain
supports mandatory sentencing, which matches voter preference: 47% to 35%
opposed. Obama prefers
prevention (support for mandatory sentencing has waned since
2003-2004). McCain is more fervent than the wording of this question, in favor of
"Two Strikes" and limited parole, including minors. Click for all
candidates' headlines on Crime or for
background information.
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Absolute Right To Gun Ownership |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: The
Gun Control issue is second in the Big Three issues in terms of viewer
interest, behind Abortion and ahead of Education -- all the other issues are
very distantly behind. Voters are split on the issue: 42% agree with
McCain's pro-gun rights stance, while 44% agree with
Obama's pro-registration stance. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Gun_Control or for background
information.
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More Federal Funding For Health Coverage |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: This
is the most lopsided of any response: 66% in favor, versus only 20% opposing.
Accordingly, McCain has been promoting various spending programs, such as
Medicare prescription drugs. But health care is generally seen as a
Democratic issue, favoring Obama's more fervent stance of
incrementally reaching universal coverage. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Health Care or for
background information.
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Privatize Social Security |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Only
35% agree with Obama's stance to keep Social Security
within the federal government, while 44% agree with McCain's stance of
privatization (but support of privatization has waned since the
2003-2004 score of 56%-29%). Social Security until recently was called the
"Third Rail" of politics -- touch it and you die -- but clearly the voters are
ready for a change. This question is perhaps the most skewed by our
demographics -- our respondents are all Internet users, and hence are younger
and more affluent than the general population. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Social Security or for
background information.
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Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 44%
agree with Obama's stance to
fund public schools only, and 37% agree with McCain's stance to
fund vouchers for private schools. Education is primarily a non-federal
issue, with 93% of funding and most decisions occuring at the state and local
levels. But education is solidly third in voter interest (behind abortion and
guns, as measured by our viewership statistics -- it has slipped from second
place in 2003-2004), so the candidates are obligated to make their views known
despite the limited power of the presidency on this issue. Click for all
candidates' headlines on School Choice or for
background information.
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Reduce use of coal, oil, & nuclear energy |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: The
environmental issue is the most lopsided issue on which the candidates sharply
differ; this is a particularly sharp difference because the question is worded
in terms of direct conservation. 59% agree with Obama's stance that
global warming is a serious threat, and 23% with McCain's stance
drill for more oil. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Energy or for background
on Environment or
background on Energy issues.
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Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 48%
support the Drug War, while 38% oppose it. This has not been much of a campaign
issue but McCain & Obama disagree: Obama would
restrict Drug War funding, while McCain would implement
stronger penalties. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Drugs or for background
information.
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Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Both
McCain & Obama once again agree with a voter consensus: 51% favor welfare
services by private organization while only 28% oppose it. Obama favors
continuing welfare reform, and McCain favors
faith-based organizations. Click for all candidates' headlines on
welfare & poverty or for
background information.
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Decrease overall taxation of the wealthy |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 51%
agree with a flatter tax structure and only 33% oppose. Tax cuts are generally
seen as a Republican issue, so this consensus favors McCain. McCain favors a
making the tax cuts permanent; Obama favors
cuts targeted to the middle class. Click for all candidates' headlines
on Tax Reform or for
background information.
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Immigration Helps Our Economy - Encourage It |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Immigration
has a very large number of viewers answering "No opinion", at 21%. And the
results, 39% in favor and 40% opposed, indicate a lack of voter consensus as
well. This result is nearly unchanged since 2003-2004 despite the
post-September-11 focus on immigration issues. McCain has mixed views, calling
for tougher enforcement
and a temporary worker program. Obama is just as ambiguous, calling for
earned citizenship but limits on visas. Click for all candidates'
headlines on Immigration or for
background information.
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Support and Expand Free Trade |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: Free
Trade has the smallest strong opposition of our 20 issues (7%, despite the
ongoing anti-globalization movement), as well as a strong consensus in favor:
58% to only 23% opposed. McCain & Obama agree in supporting free
trade, with McCain promoting the
free market, and Obama voting for free trade agreements while insisting
on labor and
environmental standards. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Free Trade or for background
information.
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More Spending On Armed Forces |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: This
is another strong voter consensus; 54% in favor with only 29% opposed, despite
that the wording says MORE spending, not just MAINTAIN spending, which favors
the Republican viewpoint. McCain & Obama outdo each other in pledging better
military pay; but they differ on what else they would spend on, with McCain
focusing on a general
military buildup and Obama focusing on
veterans' benefits. Cheney's calls for
better readiness tend to reinforce this as a Republican issue. Click
for all candidates' headlines on Iraq in general,
or for background
information.
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Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars") |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 44%
favor, and 37% oppose, a shift against Star Wars since the 42%-42% split in
2003-2004. McCain wants to deploy national missile defense; Obama would work
within the
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Homeland Security, or for
background information.
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Link Human Rights To Trade With China |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 51%
favor restrictions on China trade, with only 25% opposing. This is the only
issue of our 20 questions where McCain & Obama both disagree with the voter's
preference -- Obama voted for
China PNTR; McCain agrees and would
add Taiwan to the WTO as well. Their agreement is not surprising, since
Clinton, Gore, and the Republican Congress have also agreed on this issue. What
is surprising is the strong public consensus against it, which only
Nader acknowledges, and even he has not come out strongly on this
issue. Click for all candidates' headlines on Foreign
Policy or for background
information.
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Seek UN approval for military action |
Strongly Support
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Support
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No Opinion
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Oppose
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Strongly Oppose
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| Analysis: 57%
favor multilateralism and 25% oppose it. McCain claims to be an internationalist
but post-9-11 speaks more in favor of
unilateralism. Obama would
bring the UN into Iraq. Click for all candidates' headlines on
Foreign Policy or for
background information.
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Explore The Results
Take the VoteMatch
Quiz
| 2004 Bush-Kerry quiz
| 2000 Bush-Gore quiz
The above analyses reflect data collected from March 2007 through October
2008, with edits to the text to reflect the upcoming election. Sample size is well over 100,000 viewer sessions. The margin of error is
well under 1%, but the data represents a "self-selected sample" of people who
use the Internet for political information.
|
Click here for