These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
40% Say Being a Good Citizen is Different From Being a Patriot
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Forty-percent (40%) of voters nationwide say that being a good citizen and being a patriot are the same thing. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that another 40% disagree. and 19% are not sure.
Most Republicans say they're the one and the same. Most Democrats say they're not, and voters not affiliated with either party are split down the middle.
Voters over 50 tend to see the terms as having the same meaning, while those under 40 disagree. Forty-somethings are evenly divided.
Given a choice, 52% say they'd rather be called a good citizen, while 28% prefer being known as a patriot.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on May 11, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
Democrats, by a 75% to 11% margin, say they'd rather be called a good citizen than a patriot. Republicans and unaffiliated voters are fairly evenly divided on the question.
Forty percent (40%) of men prefer patriot, a view shared by just 18% of women.
However, there is strong agreement across party lines on the notion of what it means to be a good citizen.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) of all voters believe that volunteering for church and community groups is more important than getting involved in politics and government. In terms of being a good citizen, only 17% take the opposite view and think involvement in politics matters most.