Raleigh, N.C. – With some college conferences dissolving and others expanding, most Texans (38%) think the University of Texas should stay in the precarious Big 12. 19% want it to leave for the rejuvenated ACC. UT fans are stronger (50-11) in that sentiment. Those fans are a 23% plurality of the state’s voters, followed by A & M (15%), Baylor (11%), Houston (9%), Southern Methodist (8%), TCU and Texas Tech (5% each), and UTEP (2%). 21% have no affiliation.
The Texas Rangers are the state’s most popular baseball team, claiming 36% of voters, followed by the Houston Astros’ 22%, six teams in single digits, and 18% without a favorite. “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys are more clearly the state’s favorite NFL team, with 49%, followed by the Houston Texans’ 23%, five others in single digits, and 13% rooting for someone else or no one at all.
Texas is certainly not a place one would think of as part of a growing American coalition in favor of legal equality for same-sex couples. While only 29% support same-sex marriage, and 61% want it to remain illegal, a combined 59% believe gay couples should at least be able to form civil unions with the same rights as marriage. That includes 73% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and even 41% of Republicans.
Texans have a better view of Gov. Rick Perry’s handling of the recent wildfires than they do of his overall job performance, with 48% approving and 33% disapproving. Independents about break even, 37-38. But voters barely think Perry’s presidential candidacy is a good thing for the state, with 47% saying that and 40% believing it a bad thing. Independents think it will be negative by a 53-34 margin.
Unlike Massachusetts voters, more Texans (14%) think their own state should secede from the union than think the Bay State should (10%). Republicans are most likely to want to leave the country (17%) and to want to boot out Massachusetts (12%).
PPP surveyed 569 Texas voters from September 15th to 18th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-4.1%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews. PPP is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of the New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 29%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 61%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%
Q2 Which of the following best describes your
opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should
be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples
should be allowed to form civil unions but not
legally marry, or there should be no legal
recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should be allowed to legally
marry ……………………………………………………..24%
Gay couples should be allowed to form civil
unions but not marry …………………………………35%
There should be no recognition of a gay
couple’s relationship …………………………………40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 1%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of the Tea Party?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 44%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%
Q4 Do you believe in global warming or not?
Believe in global warming …………………………. 48%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q5 Do you believe in evolution or not?
Believe in evolution………………………………….. 46%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q6 Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement: “Social Security is a Ponzi
Scheme.”
Agree …………………………………………………….. 28%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 55%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%
Q7 Do you support or oppose requiring girls
entering the 6th grade to be vaccinated against
the human papilloma virus, also known as
HPV?
Support ………………………………………………….. 25%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 57%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%
Q8 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Perry’s handling of the wildfires?
Approve …………………………………………………. 48%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 19%
Q9 Do you think Rick Perry running for President is
a good thing or a bad thing for Texas?
Good thing ……………………………………………… 47%
Bad thing………………………………………………… 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q10 Do you think Texas should secede from the
United States and form its own country, or not?
Texas should secede ……………………………….. 14%
It should not ……………………………………………. 76%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%
Q11 Do you think Massachusetts should secede
from the United States and form its own
country, or not?
Massachusetts should secede…………………… 10%
It should not ……………………………………………. 78%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q12 Which system would you prefer for dispensing
Texas’ electoral votes: giving all of them to the
statewide winner or giving one to the winner of
each individual Congressional District?
Electoral votes should all go to the statewide
winner …………………………………………………….33%
One should be given to the winner of each
Congressional District ……………………………….37%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 30%
Q13 Do you support or oppose Texas A&M’s
decision to leave the Big 12 for the SEC?
Support ………………………………………………….. 29%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 26%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 44%
Q14 What would you like to see Texas do: stay in
the Big 12, move to the PAC 12, move to the
ACC, move to the SEC, move to the Big 10, or
become an independent?
Stay in the Big 12…………………………………….. 38%
Move to the Pac 12………………………………….. 6%
Move to the ACC……………………………………… 19%
Move to the SEC……………………………………… 3%
Move to the Big 10…………………………………… 3%
Become an independent …………………………… 4%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%
Q15 Are you a fan of Baylor, Houston, Southern
Methodist, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas
Tech, UTEP, or another school?
Baylor ……………………………………………………. 11%
Houston …………………………………………………. 9%
Southern Methodist………………………………….. 8%
Texas …………………………………………………….. 23%
Texas A & M……………………………………………. 15%
TCU ………………………………………………………. 5%
Texas Tech……………………………………………… 5%
UTEP…………………………………………………….. 2%
Another school/Not a fan ………………………….. 21%
Q16 Given the choices of the Atlanta Braves,
Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado
Rockies, Houston Astros, New York Yankees,
St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers, which
is your favorite Major League Baseball team?
Braves …………………………………………………… 4%
Red Sox…………………………………………………. 5%
Cubs ……………………………………………………… 9%
Rockies………………………………………………….. 3%
Astros ……………………………………………………. 22%
Yankees …………………………………………………. 4%
Cardinals………………………………………………… 1%
Rangers …………………………………………………. 36%
Someone else/Not a fan …………………………… 18%
Q17 Given the choices of the Dallas Cowboys,
Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City
Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants,
Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans,
which is your favorite NFL team?
Cowboys………………………………………………… 49%
Broncos………………………………………………….. 3%
Texans …………………………………………………… 23%
Chiefs ……………………………………………………. 2%
Saints…………………………………………………….. 5%
Giants ……………………………………………………. 0%
Steelers………………………………………………….. 3%
Titans…………………………………………………….. 2%
Someone else/Not a fan …………………………… 13%
Q18 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 50%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 42%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 8%
Q19 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 10%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 14%
Moderate………………………………………………… 26%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 26%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 23%
Q20 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 51%
Man……………………………………………………….. 49%
Q21 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 36%
Republican……………………………………………… 44%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 20%
Q22 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 18%
White …………………………………………………….. 64%
African-American …………………………………….. 12%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q23 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 10%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 43%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 23%
