Tennesseans across the political spectrum continue to broadly agree on many key issues, including on the seriousness of the opioid crisis, the need for improved screening for gun purchases and the importance of childcare, according to results from the . They also agree that the state鈥檚 economy is strong and that Gov. Bill Lee is doing a good job.
鈥淭ime and time again, this poll has shown how pragmatic Tennesseans are,鈥� said , Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science, professor of political science and co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll. 鈥淲hen they see a problem, they want to come together to fix it. What we find is that there is a lot of low-hanging fruit for policymakers, even on some very challenging topics.鈥�
The poll results also revealed that while 84 percent of Tennesseans said the state鈥檚 economy is in good shape, a third of voters are still worried about making ends meet and a quarter struggle to pay for health care鈥攅ven more so in rural communities.
The poll鈥檚 findings are the result of a new set of questions about topics that impact voters personally, such as household debt and healthcare access.
鈥淲hen you ask people to evaluate something as complicated as the economy, you don鈥檛 actually know if they鈥檙e including themselves in the equation,鈥� said poll co-director , Abby and Jon Winkelreid Professor of Political Science. 鈥淲hat this shows us is that even though most people feel like the state鈥檚 doing well, it doesn鈥檛 mean there aren鈥檛 still serious issues facing Tennesseans across the state鈥攅specially in rural areas.鈥�
Approval ratings remain stable; Tennesseans divided on impeachment
Gov. Bill Lee remains very popular with voters, with a 62 percent approval rating, followed by the State Legislature at 56 percent, the poll found. On the national level, 46 percent of voters said they approve of the job Sen. Lamar Alexander was doing, while 44 percent said the same of Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Congress continued to struggle at 28 percent.
Consistent with previous polling, President Donald Trump received 50 percent approval in this round of surveys.
鈥淭his reflects a broader trend of suburban discontent with President Trump across the country.鈥�
鈥淪omething new we鈥檙e seeing is that he鈥檚 dropped about 10 points in the suburbs,鈥� Geer said. 鈥淭his reflects a broader trend of suburban discontent with President Trump across the country.鈥�
On the impeachment question, 58 percent said they believe his request that Ukraine investigate former Vice President Biden was improper, but there鈥檚 disagreement on whether it is an impeachable offense and whether he should be removed from office. Thirty-five percent said the president should be impeached and removed from office, but opinions remain very polarized on this question, Geer said.
Opportunities for consensus
Addiction: 69 percent of voters said drug and alcohol dependence is the biggest problem in their community, and 68 percent approved of raising the legal age for tobacco to 21.
Gun policy: Virtually everyone agreed that guns should not be easier to buy; 47 percent said purchasing requirements should stay the same and 45 percent said they should be harder. An overwhelming majority鈥�86 percent鈥攁pproved of background checks for gun show and private gun sales. The same proportion supported bans for people with certain mental health problems, while 68 percent supported the creation of a universal database to track all gun purchases. By contrast, only 51 percent supported a ban on assault weapons.
76 percent of voters, with majorities from both parties, said Nathan Bedford Forrest’s bust should be removed from the Capitol.
鈥淭he most compelling thing about our findings on gun policy is that opinions haven鈥檛 really changed since we began asking about them in 2015,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淭hese are durable results.鈥�
Nathan Bedford Forrest bust: Seventy-six percent of voters, with majorities from both parties, said the former Confederate officer鈥檚 bust should be removed from the Capitol. Forty-seven percent said it belonged in a museum, while 29 percent said it should not be displayed at all.
Subsidized childcare for working adults: When asked how the state should dedicate its nearly $1 billion in unspent federal anti-poverty funds, subsidized childcare emerged as the top priority by a significant margin. Forty-one percent, across all income and political backgrounds, chose childcare. The next most popular choice, job training, received 27 percent support, and the third, fighting the opioid epidemic, got 16 percent.
Kitchen-table worries reveal significant challenges
Health care: About a quarter of Tennesseans said they struggle with affording health care. Twenty-eight percent said they have unpaid medical bills, while 24 percent said they鈥檝e put off care due to cost. There was a significant gender disparity, as well: while 17 percent of men said they鈥檝e postponed care due to cost, 31 percent of women have.
TennCare is one way the state seeks to mitigate that problem. The poll showed that a new proposal to shift Medicaid funding to a block grant model is very poorly understood across the board鈥�59 percent said they don鈥檛 even know enough to have an opinion about how TennCare should be funded.
鈥淭his tells us policymakers and journalists covering their actions haven鈥檛 done enough to communicate to voters,鈥� said Geer. 鈥淭his change in policy could affect a lot of people.鈥�
鈥淒espite the rosiness of some of our overall numbers about the economic conditions of Tennessee, its citizens tell us that that they are still concerned about their personal circumstances and that they face difficult challenges and choices.鈥�
Economic insecurity: Thirty-two percent of voters said they worried about paying for the basics, like food, shelter, utilities and transportation, while 52 percent reported being worried about not having enough to pay for emergencies. Fifty-three percent worry about affording college and retirement. And while 56 percent said everyone has an equal chance to get ahead, 40 percent disagreed, saying that today鈥檚 economy only rewards the people at the top.
Rural areas struggling hardest: Fifty-nine percent of rural voters said they worry about having enough to pay for emergencies, while 42 percent said they鈥檙e not sure they can meet their day-to-day needs and 39 percent said they have unpaid medical bills, which is much higher than people living in suburban and urban areas.
鈥淔indings like these are why we wanted to ask voters more about their personal experiences,鈥� said Clinton. 鈥淒espite the rosiness of some of our overall numbers about the economic conditions of Tennessee, its citizens tell us that that they are still concerned about their personal circumstances and that they face difficult challenges and choices.鈥�
The survey of 1,000 demographically representative registered Tennessee voters was conducted Nov. 19-Dec. 5, 2019, and has a margin of error of 卤3.8. Full results and methodology are available at .
About the Vanderbilt Poll
The Vanderbilt Poll is supported by the聽聽at Vanderbilt University. The statewide poll is typically conducted just before the start of each legislative session and at the end of each session, in part to determine how closely the results of the session align with voters鈥� expectations and priorities. CSDI also conducts a yearly Nashville poll, as well as additional special polls. In 2015, the Vanderbilt Poll became a charter member of the聽.