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(Do you think the federal government should make it more difficult for people to buy a gun than it is now, make it easier for people to buy a gun, or keep these rules about the same as they are now?) How important is this issue to you personally? Not at all important, not too important, somewhat important, very important, or extremely important?
Importance of gun control issue to respondent · Asked in 6 waves, 2000–2020 · 22,637 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
2000 and 2008 answers are reversed (6 minus the code) from the cumulative file, which kept the single-year files' 1 = not at all important coding under its own 1 = extremely important labels; checked against V000732 (2000) and V083164a (2008). 2012 internet respondents' answers are also reversed, on our judgment rather than a documented fix: in ANES's own 2012 release their answers mirror the in-person sample's, their link to gun-policy views runs backwards, and online and in-person answers match in 2016 and 2020. ANES has published no erratum, so 2012 here differs from ANES's published 2012 numbers. Dropped only in years where the codebook names a design split (alternate form, half sample, abbreviated or web instrument): -9 in 2008. Kept and flagged: -9 (other_missing), -8 (dk).
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Extremely important | Very important | Somewhat important | Not too important | Not at all important | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V202338. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 8,280 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V161188. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 4,270 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: gun_importance. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,914 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V083164a. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 1,154 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V043190. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,212 |
| ANES 2000 Time Series Study Source variable: V000732. | 2000-09-05 to 2000-12-22 | mixed | 1,807 | 1,807 |
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| 31% |
| 29% |
| 29% |
| 9% |
| 2% |
| 8280 |
| ±1 |
| Protestant | 33% | 31% | 26% | 8% | 2% | 3180 | ±2 |
| Catholic | 30% | 29% | 30% | 9% | 2% | 1643 | ±3 |
| Jewish | 40% | 30% | 18% | 5% | 6% | 188 | ±9 |
| Other faith | 32% | 28% | 29% | 9% | 2% | 1367 | ±4 |
| None | 29% | 27% | 32% | 9% | 3% | 1902 | ±3 |
ANES 2020 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ (face-to-face samples: contiguous 48 states and DC; web samples: 50 states and DC). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.