Poll: 57% of Americans Oppose Tax Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

[juliee]

Washington, DC – On the week in which a federal judge ruled that President Barack Obama’s executive order forcing Americans to pay for embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer funds violates a federal law, a new poll shows a majority of Americans opposed tax-funding the controversial and unproven research.

LifeNews.com/bio3152.html

 

[Lutheranteach]

Here is something from journalism 101…never believe any report on a poll that does not tell you word-for-word exactly what was asked.

 

[OchsFam]

Here is something from journalism 101…never believe any report on a poll that does not tell you word-for-word exactly what was asked.

Here you go. Click on the link for the questions asked.

 

[Wowbagger]

I’ll make it even easier for Lutheranteach:

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted August 25-26, 2010

By Rasmussen Reports

(1) How closely have you followed the issue of stem cell research?

23% Very closely
48% Somewhat closely
23% Not very closely
5% Not at all
1% Not sure

(2) How likely is it that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to lead to cures to previously incurable diseases?

39% Very likely
30% Somewhat likely
13% Not very likely
5% Not at all likely
13% Not sure

(3) Is embryonic stem cell research morally wrong?

24% Yes
54% No
21% Not sure

(4) Should taxpayer money be spent on embryonic stem cell research, or should it funding be left to the private sector?

33% Taxpayer money should be spent on embryonic stem cell research
57% Funding should be left to the private sector
10% Not sure

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence

LifeNews accurately reported this one.

 

[Dale_M]

LifeNews accurately reported this one.

Yes, but the weakness of the poll is that it doesn’t ask if persons object to government funding for research, in general. Its an important question given the very strong anti-tax sentiment in the US during the past couple years. Given that only 24% consider embryonic stem cell research to be be immoral, it would be interesting to know why 57% oppose government funding of such research.

 

[OchsFam]

Yes, but the weakness of the poll is that it doesn’t ask if persons object to government funding for research, in general. Its an important question given the very strong anti-tax sentiment in the US during the past couple years. Given that only 24% consider embryonic stem cell research to be be immoral, it would be interesting to know why 57% oppose government funding of such research.

Maybe it would be interesting, but the purpose of the poll is to see if the government should be funding ESTR. It really doesn’t matter why they oppose it. The end result is that because 57% of the people do not want to fund it, the politicians should listen and stop funding it. That is why they are in office. If they do not want to follow what their populace want, they should be removed.

It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to fund it because they are anti-tax, against it morally, or just don’t want to fund something that some other people don’t want to fund.

 

[Dale_M]

Maybe it would be interesting, but the purpose of the poll is to see if the government should be funding ESTR. It really doesn’t matter why they oppose it.

Taking that result narrowly, I agree with you.