| Baton Rouge Survey: March-April, 2009 | ||||||||||
| (Entries are percentages) | ||||||||||
| Hello, my name is [FIRST NAME ONLY], and I’m a student at Louisiana State University, here in Baton Rouge. I’m participating in a survey as part of a class project in sociology...I’m not selling anything. For this survey, I’d like to speak with the person in your household who had the last birthday and who is 18 or older. May I speak to this person? | ||||||||||
| I’d like to ask you some questions about issues that people have been talking about in Baton Rouge, like jobs, family, safety, and other things. We are conducting this survey for our class work and for academic research. Of course, any answers you give are completely confidential, and you are free to refuse to answer any question or to end the interview at any time. | ||||||||||
| Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people? | ||||||||||
| Most people can be trusted | 35 | |||||||||
| Can't be too careful | 62 | |||||||||
| Other, depends (Volunteered) | 4 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields Very High, High, Average, Low, or Very Low? First, ... Next, ... | ||||||||||
| Very high | High | Average | Low | Very Low | No opinion | Total | ||||
| Advertising Practitioners | 1 | 11 | 58 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 100 | |||
| Bankers | 8 | 28 | 44 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Business Executives | 5 | 19 | 46 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 100 | |||
| Car Salesmen | 1 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 28 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Clergy | 22 | 44 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 100 | |||
| Congressmen | 5 | 9 | 36 | 30 | 20 | 1 | 100 | |||
| How about your own Congressman? | 4 | 13 | 41 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 100 | |||
| Lawyers | 4 | 16 | 42 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 100 | |||
| Medical Doctors | 18 | 51 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Nurses | 21 | 55 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |||
| Policemen | 10 | 37 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Building Contractors | 6 | 14 | 53 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 100 | |||
| Journalists | 5 | 21 | 49 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 100 | |||
| Labor Union Leaders | 3 | 13 | 38 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 100 | |||
| Suppose you had some problem to take up with an important local official, such as the mayor or local council member, but you did not personally know this official. Do you feel that you would have to find someone who could contact the official FOR you, or could you contact the official directly? | ||||||||||
| Would have to go through connection | 48 | |||||||||
| Could approach directly | 45 | |||||||||
| Depends on the problem (volunteered) | 6 | |||||||||
| Don't know | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Now I am going to read you a series of statements that will help us understand how you feel about a number of things. For each statement, please tell me if you completely agree with it, mostly agree with it, mostly disagree with it or completely disagree with it. The first one is... | ||||||||||
| Completely Agree | Mostly Agree | Mostly Disagree | Completely Disagree | Don't Know | Total | |||||
| People like me don't have any say about what the government does | 15 | 37 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 100 | ||||
| Generally speaking, elected officials in Washington lose touch with the people pretty quickly | 35 | 49 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 100 | ||||
| Most elected officials care what people like me think | 8 | 33 | 41 | 16 | 2 | 100 | ||||
| Voting gives people like me some say about how government runs things | 31 | 45 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 100 | ||||
| How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right - just about always, most of the time or only some of the time? | ||||||||||
| Just about always | 3 | |||||||||
| Most of the time | 21 | |||||||||
| Some of the time | 64 | |||||||||
| None of the time | 10 | |||||||||
| Don't Know, Depends | 2 | |||||||||
| No answer | 0 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How about State government? How of much of the time do you think you can trust the State of Louisiana government to do what is right - just about always, most of the time or only some of the time? | ||||||||||
| Just about always | 3 | |||||||||
| Most of the time | 28 | |||||||||
| Some of the time | 57 | |||||||||
| None of the time | 9 | |||||||||
| Don't Know, Depends | 3 | |||||||||
| No answer | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| And the local East Baton Rouge government? How of much of the time do you think you can trust City-Parish government to do what is right - just about always, most of the time or only some of the time? | ||||||||||
| Just about always | 5 | |||||||||
| Most of the time | 29 | |||||||||
| Some of the time | 55 | |||||||||
| None of the time | 5 | |||||||||
| Don't Know, Depends | 4 | |||||||||
| No answer | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How much confidence do you have in the ability of the police to protect you from violent crime: a great deal, quite a lot, not very much, or none at all? | ||||||||||
| A great deal | 21 | |||||||||
| Quite lot | 38 | |||||||||
| Not very much | 31 | |||||||||
| None at all | 8 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How much confidence do you have in the ability of the U.S. government to respond to natural disasters: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all? | ||||||||||
| A Great Deal | 20 | |||||||||
| A Fair Amount | 47 | |||||||||
| Not Very Much | 24 | |||||||||
| None at All | 8 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| I'd like to ask you some questions about what has happened since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf area. Do you think the federal government has responded adequately, or could it have done much better? | ||||||||||
| Adequately | 23 | |||||||||
| Could have done better | 75 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How about state government? Do you think the Louisiana state government responded adequately to Hurricane Katrina or could it have done much better? | ||||||||||
| Adequately | 24 | |||||||||
| Could have done better | 74 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| And local governments? Do you think the Local governments responded adequately to Hurricane Katrina or could they have done much better? | ||||||||||
| Adequately | 39 | |||||||||
| Could have done better | 59 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is responding to the needs of people affected by Hurricane Katrina? | ||||||||||
| Approve | 35 | |||||||||
| Disapprove | 13 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 52 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush responded to the needs of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, during his term in office? | ||||||||||
| Approve | 31 | |||||||||
| Disapprove | 61 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 8 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Would you be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes to help with the recovery from Hurricane Katrina? | ||||||||||
| Willing | 39 | |||||||||
| Not Willing | 52 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 8 | |||||||||
| No answer | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you think the federal government should continue to provide housing for all people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, or is this no longer the responsibility of the federal government? | ||||||||||
| Should Continue to Provide | 29 | |||||||||
| No Longer Federal Responsibility | 61 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 10 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| In the past 30 days, how often have you visited a web site for - | ||||||||||
| Never | 1-2 Times | 3-5 Times | More Than 5 Times | Don’t Know | No Answer | Total | ||||
| News and current events | 21 | 15 | 9 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Political information | 34 | 18 | 8 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Financial information | 34 | 16 | 11 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 100 | |||
| Social Networking | 54 | 12 | 6 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Shopping | 37 | 18 | 12 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Music/Concerts | 56 | 23 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Sports | 50 | 16 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Humor | 62 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Health and Fitness | 41 | 23 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 100 | |||
| Religion/Church related | 53 | 17 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 100 | |||
| Thinking about songs people copy from their CDs onto their computers, do you think it should be legal or illegal to trade these songs with other people on the Internet? | ||||||||||
| Legal | 40 | |||||||||
| Illegal | 45 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 15 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| What about movies that people copy from their DVDs onto their computers, do you think it should be legal or illegal to trade these movies with other people on the Internet? | ||||||||||
| Legal | 33 | |||||||||
| Illegal | 50 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 16 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How likely is it that you would download songs from an Internet site if you could do so quickly and easily - very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely? | ||||||||||
| Very likely | 38 | |||||||||
| Somewhat likely | 15 | |||||||||
| Not too likely | 13 | |||||||||
| Not at all likely | 32 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How about movies - how likely is it that you would download movies from an Internet site if you could do so quickly and easily - very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely? | ||||||||||
| Very likely | 26 | |||||||||
| Somewhat likely | 17 | |||||||||
| Not too likely | 16 | |||||||||
| Not at all likely | 39 | |||||||||
| No opinion | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| All systems of justice make mistakes, but which do you think is worse? | ||||||||||
| To convict an innocent person | 59 | |||||||||
| To let a guilty person go free | 23 | |||||||||
| Can't Choose | 17 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Some states have special laws that provide harsher penalties for crimes motivated by hate of certain groups than the penalties for the same crimes if they are not motivated by this kind of hate. Would you favor or oppose this type of hate crime law in your state? | ||||||||||
| Favor | 51 | |||||||||
| Oppose | 40 | |||||||||
| Don't know | 7 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Is there any area right around here - that is, within a mile - where you would be afraid to walk alone at night? | ||||||||||
| Yes | 54 | |||||||||
| No | 45 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 1 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you think having a gun in the house makes it a safer place to be or a more dangerous place to be? | ||||||||||
| Safer | 51 | |||||||||
| More Dangerous | 27 | |||||||||
| Depends (vol.) | 19 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you Favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? | ||||||||||
| Favor | 58 | |||||||||
| Oppose | 29 | |||||||||
| Don't Know/No Answer | 13 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Next I’d like to ask you a couple questions about television and newspapers. How many days in the past week did you read a daily newspaper? | ||||||||||
| 0 | 23 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2 | 11 | |||||||||
| 3 | 7 | |||||||||
| 4 | 6 | |||||||||
| 5 | 7 | |||||||||
| 6 | 1 | |||||||||
| 7 | 36 | |||||||||
| Don't Know/No Answer | 0 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| How many hours per day do you spend watching TV (television) on an average weekday, that is Monday through Friday? | ||||||||||
| 0 | 2 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | |||||||||
| 2 | 24 | |||||||||
| 3 | 20 | |||||||||
| 4 | 13 | |||||||||
| 5 | 15 | |||||||||
| 6 | 5 | |||||||||
| 7 | 3 | |||||||||
| 8 | 1 | |||||||||
| 9 | 0 | |||||||||
| 10 | 1 | |||||||||
| 11 | 0 | |||||||||
| 12 | 2 | |||||||||
| Don't Know/No Answer | 0 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Now I just have a few questions about your household and your background. | ||||||||||
| First, may I ask, In what year were you born? [Recoded to age] | ||||||||||
| 18-30 | 25 | |||||||||
| 31-45 | 25 | |||||||||
| 46-60 | 28 | |||||||||
| 61 and Over | 19 | |||||||||
| Missing | 4 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| [IF UNSURE ASK]: Are you male or female? | ||||||||||
| Male | 46 | |||||||||
| Female | 54 | |||||||||
| Do you consider yourself to be … Are you Hispanic or Latino? [Answers combined] | ||||||||||
| White (non-Hisp) | 51 | |||||||||
| Black (non-Hisp) | 40 | |||||||||
| Asian | 1 | |||||||||
| Hispanic | 1 | |||||||||
| Missing or Other | 7 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Are your currently married, living with a partner, separated, divorced, widowed, or have you never been married? | ||||||||||
| Married | 55 | |||||||||
| Living with partner | 6 | |||||||||
| Separated | 2 | |||||||||
| Divorced | 8 | |||||||||
| Widowed | 5 | |||||||||
| Single, never married | 23 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 2 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 100 | |||||||||
| Do you have children? How many? | ||||||||||
| None | 31 | |||||||||
| One | 17 | |||||||||
| Two | 23 | |||||||||
| Three | 17 | |||||||||
| Four or more | 10 | |||||||||
| Other answer | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| What is the highest grade of schooling that you have completed? | ||||||||||
| 8th Grade or less | 1 | |||||||||
| Some high school | 4 | |||||||||
| High School Diploma | 20 | |||||||||
| Vocational/Technical school | 9 | |||||||||
| Some College | 22 | |||||||||
| College degree | 25 | |||||||||
| Some graduate school | 3 | |||||||||
| Graduate degree | 15 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 1 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| What is your religious preference? Is it Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, some other religion, or no religion? | ||||||||||
| Protestant | 61 | |||||||||
| Catholic | 24 | |||||||||
| Other | 7 | |||||||||
| None | 5 | |||||||||
| Don't Know/No Answer | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Are you a member of a local church, synagogue, or other religious or spiritual community? | ||||||||||
| Yes | 72 | |||||||||
| No | 22 | |||||||||
| Don't know | 1 | |||||||||
| Refused | 5 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Not including weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services? | ||||||||||
| Every week (or more often) | 42 | |||||||||
| Almost every week | 11 | |||||||||
| Once or twice a month | 23 | |||||||||
| A few times per year | 11 | |||||||||
| Less often than that | 10 | |||||||||
| Don't know | 1 | |||||||||
| Refused | 1 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or what? Would you call yourself a strong (Republican/Democrat) or not a very strong (Republican/Democrat)? Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican or Democratic Party? [Answers combined] | ||||||||||
| Strong Democrat | 29 | |||||||||
| Democrat | 14 | |||||||||
| Lean Democratic | 9 | |||||||||
| Independent | 5 | |||||||||
| Lean Republican | 8 | |||||||||
| Republican | 15 | |||||||||
| Strong Republican | 15 | |||||||||
| Other | 3 | |||||||||
| None | 3 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Who did you vote for in the 2008 Presidential election? | ||||||||||
| John McCain | 36 | |||||||||
| Barack Obama | 47 | |||||||||
| Someone else [Volunteered] | 0 | |||||||||
| Didn't vote | 10 | |||||||||
| Don't remember, No Answer, Refused | 7 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Who did you vote for in the 2008 election for Mayor of Baton Rouge? Did you vote for [Read four candidate names…] | ||||||||||
| Wayne Carter | 1 | |||||||||
| Kip Holden | 62 | |||||||||
| Ron Johnson | 2 | |||||||||
| Dan Kyle | 2 | |||||||||
| Someone else [Volunteered] | 1 | |||||||||
| Didn't vote | 22 | |||||||||
| Don't remember, No Answer, Refused | 11 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kip Holden is handling his job as Mayor of Baton Rouge? | ||||||||||
| Approve | 75 | |||||||||
| Disapprove | 9 | |||||||||
| Unsure | 16 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| We hear a lot of talk these days about liberals and conservatives. Would you call yourself - | ||||||||||
| Extremely Liberal | 4 | |||||||||
| Liberal | 10 | |||||||||
| Slightly Liberal | 8 | |||||||||
| Moderate, middle of the road | 23 | |||||||||
| Slightly Conservative | 14 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 24 | |||||||||
| Extremely Conservative | 8 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 6 | |||||||||
| No Answer | 2 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| Just one more question: I'm going to read you a series of income categories. Please stop me when I get to the category that includes the total income that you and all other members of your household earned before taxes last year, from all sources. | ||||||||||
| Under $15,000 | 6 | |||||||||
| Under $25,000 | 6 | |||||||||
| Under $35,000 | 8 | |||||||||
| Under $50,000 | 13 | |||||||||
| Under $75,000 | 14 | |||||||||
| Under $100,000 | 12 | |||||||||
| More than $100,000 | 17 | |||||||||
| Don't Know | 8 | |||||||||
| No Response | 16 | |||||||||
| 100 | ||||||||||
| This concludes the interview. Thank you for participating in this survey and giving so generously of your time. | ||||||||||
| Note. Data collected by students in Sociology 2211 ("Sociological Methods"), Louisiana State University, March-April 2009. Data are based on a random-digit-dialed telephone sample, representative of the general population age 18 and over in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area, to reflect the combined age-gender-race/hispanic distributions, according to the U.S. Census estimates for 2006. | ||||||||||