News Release: Poll Shows Arkansans Oppose Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Little Rock, AR — On Tuesday the University of Arkansas released its annual Arkansas Poll. Among other things, the poll indicated Arkansans’ views regarding same-sex marriage have not changed in the past year, and the overwhelming majority oppose abortion in all or most cases.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “This poll shows Arkansans still support traditional marriage and are deeply pro-life. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said same-sex marriage should not be recognized. That’s on par with past polls. Arkansans still believe marriage ought to be the union of one man and one woman, and these poll numbers reflect that fact.”

Cox said the poll shows Arkansans soundly reject the idea of abortion on demand. “According to the poll, eighteen percent said abortion ought to be illegal under all circumstances, and sixty-one percent said it ought to be legal only under certain circumstances. In other words, seventy-nine percent of Arkansans believe abortion ought to be completely illegal or legal only in a few cases. When you look specifically at likely voters, those numbers jump up to eighty-one percent. Arkansans overwhelmingly reject abortion, and Arkansas’ lawmakers have passed a lot of legislation protecting the lives of unborn children in recent years. I believe that is one reason abortion in Arkansas has fallen to the lowest levels since the 1970s, and abortion among teenagers is near an all-time low.”

Cox called the poll’s findings good news, saying, “Most Arkansans support traditional marriage, and they want to see unborn children protected. Those are things Family Council is committed to. We look forward to continuing that work in the future.”

Family Council is a conservative education and research organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

###

New Poll Shows Most Arkansans Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion

Pollsters from the University of Arkansas released their annual Arkansas Poll today.

The poll results indicate most Arkansans still believe same-sex marriage should not be recognized, and the overwhelming majority oppose abortion on demand.

The pollsters surveyed 801 Arkansans last October. Of those surveyed, 57% said same-sex marriage should not be recognized — the same number the Arkansas Poll found last year.

Forty-five percent favored laws that would make it more difficult to get an abortion.

Eighteen percent said abortion ought to be illegal in all circumstances, and 61% said it ought to be legal only under certain circumstances.

In other words, 79% of Arkansans believe abortion ought to be completely illegal or legal only under certain circumstances.

This tracks with major, national polls that show Americans generally believe abortion ought to be illegal in all but a few situations — such as in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. Americans oppose abortion on demand, and Arkansans are no exception.

You can download the poll results here.

You can find a list of the questions pollsters asked here.

Photo: Credit: By Rennett Stowe from USA (Tapping a Pencil Uploaded by Atmoz) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Here’s What Thomas Jefferson Said About Giving Thanks:

We’re counting down to Thanksgiving at our office. Today we continue our series tracing the history of Thanksgiving.

At the prompting of the Continental Congress, on November 11, 1779, Thomas Jefferson—who was governor of Virginia at the time—issued a proclamation calling on Virginians to turn to God in prayer.

The proclamation says that “it becomes us humbly to approach the throne of Almighty God, with gratitude and praise,” and sets aside December 9 as a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer. It also calls on ministers to hold church services.

Jefferson’s proclamation is significant for two reasons:

First, because Thomas Jefferson is often regarded as one of the least religious of the Founding Fathers—even though he regularly attended church and read the Bible.

And second, because it is one of the earliest examples of a public official designating a day specifically for the purpose of giving thanks to God.

You can read Jefferson’s entire proclamation here.

For more than two centuries Americans have been pausing to give thanks at this time of year. I hope you and I can continue to carry that tradition forward, teaching it to our children and grandchildren.

If you have never donated to Family Council or the Education Alliance, now is a great time to do so. Your financial support will make Arkansas a better place to live, work, and raise a family. It will promote and strengthen home schooling. It will help fight abortion and make Arkansas a more pro-life state. Click here to send a generous, tax-deductible donation today.