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Built from public survey data: the GSS, ANES, CES, the Census Bureau’s CPS supplements and Household Pulse Survey, the Federal Reserve’s SHED, the New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations, and Pew Research Center. Estimates computed here are weighted; see each source page for methods and citations. Survey of Consumer Expectations data: © 2013–2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which disclaims responsibility for this analysis.

Data disclaimer & corrections More from Numerate Choir

Cooperative Election Study 2020

Source: CES
Field dates: 2020-09-29 to 2020-12-14 (day precision)
Mode: web
Population: US adults 18+ (YouGov opt-in panels, sample-matched to an ACS frame and weighted)
Geography: National
Respondents: 61,000
Sample design: Matched sample: respondents drawn from opt-in online panels and matched to a stratified ACS-based target frame, then weighted; pre-election wave (Oct) and post-election wave (Nov).
Weight: Cumulative-file `weight` (the year's common-content weight, recomputed after vote validation in even years; targets US adults), rescaled to mean 1. For post-election-wave items use extra.weight_post; for registered voters use extra.vvweight / vvweight_post.
Sponsor: CES consortium of university teams (NSF-supported)
Fielded by: YouGov
Notes: Respondents and harmonized items from the Cumulative CES Common Content (doi:10.7910/DVN/II2DB6); year-specific items from the yearly Common Content. Post-election wave fielded 2020-11-08 to 2020-12-14.
Data: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/E9N6PH

Questions asked (95)

opinion behavior demographic all

Trust & government › Spending priorities

State spending on education
State spending on health care
State spending on law enforcement
State spending on transportation and infrastructure
State spending on welfare

Trust & government › Government performance & approval

Approval of President Trump's job performance
Approval of the U.S. Congress
Approval of the U.S. Supreme Court
Approval of the governor
Approval of the president
Approval of the state governor
Approval of the state legislature
Remove Trump from office for abuse of power
Remove Trump from office for obstruction of Congress

Trust & government › Courts & the legal system

Confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court
Confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court
Timing of Ginsburg replacement before or after new Senate

Economy, work, & money › National economy

National economy better or worse over the past year
National economy over the past year
Support for the CARES Act stimulus
Support for the HEROES Act stimulus

Economy, work, & money › Taxes

Raise sales tax versus raise income tax
Tax increases versus spending cuts to balance budget

Economy, work, & money › Unions & labor

Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour

Economy, work, & money › Welfare & the safety net

Work requirement for food stamps for able-bodied adults

Economy, work, & money › Trade & globalization

Higher tariffs on European aircraft and farm products
Steel and aluminum tariffs excluding Canada and Mexico
Steel and aluminum tariffs including Canada and Mexico
Tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports
Withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement

Politics & elections › Party & ideology

Rating of Donald Trump's ideology
Rating of Joe Biden's ideology
Rating of the Democratic Party's ideology
Rating of the Republican Party's ideology

Social & moral issues › Abortion

Always allow abortion as a matter of choice
Let employers decline abortion coverage in insurance plans
Make abortion illegal in all circumstances
Permit abortion only for rape, incest, or life endangerment
Prohibit abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy
Prohibit federal funds for any abortion
Prohibit requiring abortions be done only in hospitals

Social & moral issues › Guns

Ban assault rifles
Ban publishing names and addresses of gun owners
Make concealed-carry permits easier to obtain

Social & moral issues › LGBT issues

Ban transgender people from the military
Prohibit discrimination by gender identity and sexual orientation

Race, immigration, & identity › Race relations & racial attitudes

Blacks should overcome prejudice without special favors
Racial problems in the U.S. are rare, isolated situations
Resentment when Whites deny racial discrimination exists
Slavery and discrimination make it hard for Blacks to rise
White people have advantages because of skin color
Whites do not try to understand problems African Americans face
Whites get away with offenses African Americans would not

Race, immigration, & identity › Immigration

Cut legal immigration by 50 percent over 10 years
Declaring a national emergency to build a border wall
Increase border patrols on the Mexican border
Legal status for working, tax-paying illegal immigrants
More border security spending, including a border wall
Pathway to citizenship for Dreamers
Suspending program letting asylum seekers stay in the U.S.
Withhold funds from police not reporting illegal immigrants

Gender & family › Gender roles

Require equal pay for women and men
Women are too easily offended
Women seek power by controlling men

Health & health care › Health care policy

Allow states to import prescription drugs
Expand Medicare to a single public coverage program
Government negotiation of prescription drug prices
Lower Medicare eligibility age to 50
Repeal the entire Affordable Care Act
Restore the ACA individual insurance mandate

Crime & justice › Policing

Allow suing police who recklessly disregard rights
Ban police use of choke holds
Create national registry of police misconduct
Decrease police by 10 percent and fund other services
End program sending surplus military gear to police
Increase police on the street by 10 percent
Require police to wear body cameras
Whether police make you feel safe

Crime & justice › Courts & punishment

Eliminate mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders

Foreign policy & defense › Military & defense

Approve troops to assist the spread of democracy
Approve troops to destroy a terrorist camp
Approve troops to ensure the oil supply
Approve troops to help the UN uphold international law
Approve troops to protect allies under attack
Approve troops to stop genocide or civil war
Approve troops: none of the above

Foreign policy & defense › Wars & conflicts

Withdrawing troops from Kurdish-controlled northern Syria

Foreign policy & defense › International relations

Support for assassination of Iranian General Soleimani
Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear accord and reimposing sanctions

Environment, energy, & science › Environment & climate

Give the EPA power to regulate carbon dioxide emissions
Repealing the Clean Power Plan rules
Strengthen EPA enforcement of clean air and water laws
Withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement

Environment, energy, & science › Energy

Raise fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 miles per gallon
Require states to use minimum amount of renewable fuels