Nebraska Miscellany

-Ben Nelson's position may be looking better than it was 8 months ago but here's one data point that won't help his prospects for reelection: only 29% of voters in the state support the health care bill from last year, while 60% of voters remain opposed to it. It's a given that Republicans are against it but independents are as well by a 54/33 margin and even 25% of Democrats oppose it.

-When it comes to the issue of more right for same sex couples Nebraska mirrors what we find in most states- voters are opposed to gay marriage but if you expand the discussion to gay marriage/civil unions a majority support some form of legal recognition. Nebraskans think gay marriage should continue to be illegal, 54/36.  But 64% support extended rights for same sex couples (30% for marriage, 34% for civil unions) to only 34% opposed to all legal recongition. Even among Republicans 52% support more rights for gay couples.

-Tom Osborne is the most popular person PPP has ever polled on anywhere and Bo Pelini isn't far behind. An amazing 86% of voters in the state have a favorable opinion of Osborne to 6% with a negative one. He has to be just about the most popular person in American History to lose an election. Pelini is seen postively by 70% of voters to 14% with a negative opinion.  It's rare when we poll a state to find a college football coach that 70% of voters have ever even heard of, much less have a positive opinion of. If there's a state in the country that embraces a college football program more than Nebraska does the Cornhuskers I haven't polled it yet.

-Nebraskans aren't looking back on their school's move to the Big 1o for this year. 65% are glad they moved to only 12% who wish they had remained in the Big 12.  This is interesting in light of the fact that in most states we're finding voters don't want their schools to switch conferences- it may be that once the move is made people quickly get behind it.

-35% of Nebraskans are glad that the College World Series moved to downtown Omaha, while 35% wish it had remained at Rosenblatt Stadium. It says a lot about how much that event means to the state that 70% of voters have an opinion about where within Omaha it should be played. In the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the City of Omaha, 44% are glad for the move to TD Ameritrade Ballpark while 41% would have preferred it staying in south Omaha.

-The Chicago Cubs just barely edge out the Kansas City Royals as Nebraska's favorite MLB team, 20-17. No one else hits double digits- the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox are all at 7%, the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals at 5%, and the Minnesota Twins at 4%.

It's a close race for Nebraska's favorite NFL team as well- 17% go for the Green Bay Packers to 13% for the Kansas City Chiefs, 12% for the Denver Broncos, 11% for the Chicago Bears, 7% for the Dallas Cowboys, 6% for the Pittsburgh Steelers, 5% for the Minnesota Vikings, and 2% for the St. Louis Rams.

Full results here

Comments

[pbrower2a]

I am surprised that the Detroit Tigers do not figure in in Nebraska. Sure, Detroit is a long way from Nebraska, but for years the owner of the Tigers (John Fetzer) also owned TV stations in Lincoln and Omaha and broadcast Tigers' games on those channels and their satellites. That was before the Kansas City Royals got a broadcast presence.

[Josh]

First time visiting the site, very interesting! I thought it worth mentioning that Tom Osborne's popularity probably has little or nothing to do with his election loss, but rather his legendary on the football field when he was Nebraska's head coach. :) Also, how are those poll questions posed regarding popularity on different people?

[Craig Furrow]

Husker/steelers/avalanche/nighthawks/tri city storm/gothenburg swedes

[Dustin Ingalls]

pbrower2a: We didn't ask about the Tigers, but they could've been among the 28% plurality that said they favor another team or are not baseball fans.

Josh: The full results are in the link at the bottom of the post, as always.

[sacman701]

Not surprised. Husker football is the state religion of Nebraska. Everyone I've ever met from there is a Husker fan, even people who otherwise don't care about sports. Walk into a gas station at the west end of the state, 300 miles from Lincoln, they sell more Huskers trinkets than you can shake a stick at.