Methodology The University of Illinois Springfield Survey Research Office (SRO) is dedicated to the principles of transparency in research and is a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative. Membership entails adherence to AAPOR’s code of ethics as well as a commitment to promoting the understanding of survey methodology and how it relates to survey quality. For more information about project methodology, please contact the UIS Survey Research Office at sro@uis.edu. The 2019 Illinois Issues Survey was designed and analyzed by the staff of the Center for State Policy and Leadership, the Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies, and the Survey Research Office at the University of Illinois Springfield. This project is co-sponsored by the Center for State Policy and Leadership, NPR Illinois, and the Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. The study was conducted in English by the Survey Research Office via the Qualtrics Research Suite. The online panel was provided by Qualtrics. The survey was fielded from September 13-September 23, 2019 among a sample of 1,012 registered voters, all at least 18 years or older, in Illinois. For all respondents the credibility interval is plus or minus 3.5. While a margin of error is often used to express uncertainty in polling, for online surveys credibility intervals are used to measure the accuracy, or uncertainty, of the survey. When examining subgroups, the credibility interval will increase. The survey includes quotas for gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and region of the state. The sample was weighted based on the demographic composition of these groups in Illinois using the most recent population estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. For additional information on weighting, please click here. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to multiple sources of error, including but not limited to sampling error, coverage error, and measurement error. The survey included various checks to ensure the validity of the data collected from respondents. Click here for an extended explanation for all the checks Qualtrics does for their panels. Notes for reading the results: – Percentages may not always add up to 100 percent due to rounding. – Values less than 0.5 percent are indicated by an asterisk (*). Survey Sample Compared to Illinois Group Male Female Weighted Sample Illinois 48% 49% 52% 51% 18 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 and Older 24% 18% 29% 29% 24% 18% 29% 29% Cook County Collar Counties Downstate 40% 25% 35% 40% 25% 35% White Black Hispanic Other 62% 14% 13% 10% 62% 14% 17% 7% High School Diploma or Less Between a HS Diploma and Four-Year Degree Four-Year Degree or More 31% 33% 36% 34% 32% 34% Under $45,000 $45,001 and $100,000 Greater than $100,001 46% 30% 24% 46% 30% 24% Firearm Owning 1 26% 26% Democrat/Democrat Leaning Non-Leaning Independent Republican/Republican Leaning 53% 15% 30% Kalesan, B., Villarreal, M.D., Keyes, K.M. and Galea, S., 2016. Gun ownership and social gun culture. Injury prevention, 22(3), pp.216-220. 1 Public Opinion of Illinois Voters towards Firearm Policies Consistent with 2018 (89%), approximately nine in ten respondents (92%) support mental health background checks on all firearm purchases. When looking at key subgroups in the state, support remains consistently high. 94% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents support mental health background checks, compared to 91% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. 90% of non-leaning independents support such a policy. A six-percentage point difference separates downstate residents (88%) from Cook County (94%) residents, and a sevenpercentage point difference separates downstate residents from collar county residents (95%). When it comes to race and ethnicity, 96% of Black voters support mental health background checks on all firearm purchases, with the lowest level of support coming from Hispanic voters (89%). Notably, 92% of voters living in a household with firearms support mental health background checks, slightly less than voters in households without firearms (94%). In a substantial increase from 2018 (58%), nearly three-quarters (72%) of Illinois voters support an assault weapons ban. National polls have also shown improvements in support for this policy from 2018 and 2019. 2 There is notable partisan variation in support for this policy. While 83% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents support this policy, a small majority (56%) of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do. Non-leaning independents are in the middle of the two partisan groups at 64%. There is also notable variation across the regions of the state. While 79% of Cook County voters support this policy, 73% of collar county voters and 63% percent of downstate voters do. Further, while slightly over three-quarters (77%) of voters living in non-firearm owning households support this policy, 59% of voters living in firearm owning homes do. A new question in 2019 asked respondents their attitudes towards banning ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds, commonly referred to as high-capacity magazines. 74% of Illinois voters support banning high-capacity magazines. While 83% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Illinois voters support such a policy, 62% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters do. Two-thirds (67%) of non-leaning independents support a ban on high-capacity magazines. Further, while over three-fourths (78%) of Cook County voters support such a ban, less than two-thirds (65%) of downstate voters do. Collar county voters (74%) are slightly less likely than Cook County voters to support such a policy and about nine percentage points more likely than downstate voters. Slightly less than two-thirds (62%) of voters living in firearm owning households support a high-capacity magazine ban, compared to over threefourths (78%) of voters residing in non-firearm owning households. Another addition in 2019 asks respondents their attitudes towards requiring applicants for the Firearm Owner ID (FOID) card to submit fingerprints as part of their application. 88% of Illinois voters surveyed support this policy. 93% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters support such a system. Fewer Republicans and Republican-leaning voters (81%) do, with non-leaning independents (86%) in between in their support of fingerprinting as part of the FOID application process. Compared to partisan differences, there is less variation across regions of Illinois. 92% Fox News. Fox News Poll, August 2019. Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research. Fox News. Fox News Poll, March 2018. Anderson Robbins Research/Shaw & Co. Research. 2 of Cook County residents support fingerprinting, compared to 87% of voters in the collar counties and 85% of downstate voters. There is also a difference when it comes to gender. 92% of female respondents support fingerprinting for FOID applications, compared to 84% of male respondents. While 91% of voters living in non-firearm owning homes support fingerprinting, fewer of those in firearm owning households (83%) do. There is slight variation when it comes to age, as the age group most likely to support fingerprinting is those ages 60 and up (91%) while those ages 18 to 24 (85%) are the least supportive. Education also has some slight variation, as those with a four-year college degree or higher (85%) are least likely to support such a policy and those with between a high school diploma and four-year degree (91%) are most likely. Crosstabs Do you support or oppose requiring mental health background checks on all firearm purchases? Group All Respondents Support Net 92% Strongly Support 73% Somewhat Support 19% Oppose Net 8% Somewhat Oppose 5% Strongly Oppose 3% Male Female 93% 93% 68% 78% 25% 15% 8% 7% 5% 5% 3% 2% 18 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 and Older 90% 91% 92% 96% 66% 69% 77% 77% 23% 22% 15% 19% 10% 9% 8% 4% 6% 7% 6% 1% 4% 2% 2% 3% Cook County Collar Counties Downstate 94% 95% 88% 79% 76% 64% 15% 19% 24% 6% 5% 11% 3% 3% 8% 3% 2% 3% White Black Hispanic Other 92% 96% 89% 89% 69% 86% 74% 77% 23% 10% 15% 12% 8% 4% 11% 11% 6% 1% 5% 7% 2% 3% 6% 4% High School Diploma or Less Between a HS Diploma and Four-Year Degree Four-Year Degree or More 92% 73% 19% 9% 6% 3% 93% 77% 16% 7% 5% 2% 91% 74% 17% 8% 4% 4% Under $45,000 $45,001 and $100,000 Greater than $100,001 92% 93% 94% 72% 72% 76% 20% 21% 17% 9% 7% 6% 6% 4% 4% 3% 3% 2% Firearm Owning Household Non-Firearm Owning Household 92% 67% 25% 8% 6% 2% 94% 76% 17% 7% 4% 3% Democrat/Democrat Leaning Non-Leaning Independent Republican/Republican Leaning 94% 81% 13% 6% 3% 3% 90% 91% 69% 62% 21% 29% 10% 9% 8% 6% 2% 3% Do you support or oppose banning ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, commonly known as high-capacity magazines? Group All Respondents Support Net 74% Strongly Support 54% Somewhat Support 20% Oppose Net 27% Somewhat Oppose 12% Strongly Oppose 15% Male Female 68% 78% 49% 58% 19% 20% 33% 21% 13% 11% 20% 10% 18 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 and Older 69% 66% 70% 84% 41% 45% 54% 69% 27% 21% 16% 15% 31% 34% 29% 15% 16% 16% 12% 5% 15% 18% 17% 10% Cook County Collar Counties Downstate 78% 74% 65% 61% 56% 42% 17% 18% 23% 22% 25% 35% 12% 7% 16% 10% 18% 19% White Black Hispanic Other 70% 79% 72% 84% 50% 65% 50% 60% 20% 14% 22% 24% 29% 21% 28% 16% 12% 12% 13% 8% 17% 9% 15% 8% High School Diploma or Less Between a HS Diploma and Four-Year Degree Four-Year Degree or More 73% 51% 22% 28% 13% 15% 75% 55% 20% 25% 12% 13% 81% 67% 14% 19% 9% 10% Under $45,000 $45,001 and $100,000 Greater than $100,001 70% 73% 79% 48% 52% 66% 22% 21% 13% 32% 27% 20% 16% 12% 4% 14% 15% 16% Firearm Owning Household Non-Firearm Owning Household 62% 43% 19% 38% 13% 25% 78% 59% 19% 22% 11% 11% Democrat/Democrat Leaning Non-Leaning Independent Republican/Republican Leaning 83% 65% 18% 18% 9% 9% 67% 46% 21% 33% 18% 15% 62% 40% 22% 39% 14% 25% Do you support or oppose a weapons ban to include firearms similar to the AR-15 and AK-47, sometimes referred to as assault weapons? Group Support Strongly Somewhat Oppose Somewhat Strongly Net Support Support Net Oppose Oppose All Respondents 72% 55% 17% 29% 10% 19% Male Female 65% 77% 49% 60% 16% 17% 34% 22% 10% 9% 24% 13% 18 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 and Older 65% 63% 71% 82% 45% 45% 54% 70% 20% 18% 17% 12% 35% 37% 28% 18% 13% 14% 8% 6% 22% 23% 20% 12% Cook County Collar Counties Downstate 79% 73% 63% 66% 57% 41% 13% 16% 22% 21% 27% 38% 8% 7% 14% 13% 20% 24% White Black Hispanic Other 68% 81% 73% 76% 50% 67% 55% 68% 18% 14% 18% 8% 31% 20% 27% 24% 10% 6% 11% 11% 21% 14% 16% 13% High School Diploma or Less Between a HS Diploma and Four-Year Degree Four-Year Degree or More 71% 53% 18% 29% 10% 19% 74% 56% 17% 27% 11% 16% 79% 68% 11% 21% 9% 12% Under $45,000 $45,001 and $100,000 Greater than $100,001 70% 69% 78% 51% 52% 66% 19% 17% 12% 30% 31% 23% 12% 11% 5% 18% 20% 18% Firearm Owning Household Non-Firearm Owning Household 59% 43% 16% 42% 14% 28% 77% 60% 17% 23% 8% 15% Democrat/Democrat Leaning Non-Leaning Independent Republican/Republican Leaning 83% 69% 14% 17% 6% 11% 64% 46% 18% 36% 18% 18% 56% 36% 20% 43% 12% 31% Do you support or oppose requiring applicants for the Firearms Owner ID (FOID) card to submit fingerprints as part of their application? Group All Respondents Support Net 88% Strongly Support 69% Somewhat Support 19% Oppose Net 12% Somewhat Oppose 6% Strongly Oppose 6% Male Female 84% 92% 61% 77% 23% 15% 17% 8% 8% 5% 9% 3% 18 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 59 60 and Older 85% 86% 89% 91% 60% 66% 74% 75% 25% 20% 15% 16% 15% 14% 11% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 7% 7% 5% 4% Cook County Collar Counties Downstate 92% 77% 85% 77% 72% 59% 15% 15% 26% 8% 13% 16% 4% 5% 10% 4% 8% 6% White Black Hispanic Other 87% 92% 89% 82% 66% 79% 73% 72% 21% 13% 16% 10% 12% 9% 11% 18% 7% 4% 4% 8% 5% 5% 7% 10% High School Diploma or Less Between a HS Diploma and Four-Year Degree Four-Year Degree or More 90% 72% 18% 10% 6% 4% 91% 71% 20% 9% 3% 6% 85% 73% 12% 15% 9% 6% Under $45,000 $45,001 and $100,000 Greater than $100,001 88% 87% 88% 67% 68% 75% 21% 19% 13% 12% 13% 12% 7% 7% 5% 5% 6% 7% Firearm Owning Household Non-Firearm Owning Household 83% 62% 21% 17% 7% 10% 91% 74% 17% 10% 6% 4% Democrat/Democrat Leaning Non-Leaning Independent Republican/Republican Leaning 93% 79% 14% 6% 3% 3% 86% 63% 23% 14% 8% 6% 81% 57% 24% 20% 11% 9%