Oklahomans:
" are mainly conservative, but support civil unions;
" mostly oppose abortion, but believe in climate change; and
" support tax cuts, but want to end corporate welfare.
Those are some of the findings according to a recent, wide-ranging poll aimed at profiling the "typical" state voter.
SoonerPoll.com conducted the survey, which asked more than 500 Oklahomans their opinions on issues ranging from same-sex marriage to eminent domain.
"We need to understand more of who we are," said SoonerPoll.com President Bill Shapard. "We just had our 100th birthday, and I think it's a good hook to say, 'Where are we at 100?' I think it's meaningful to find out who the Oklahoma voter is. What they think, what they feel, and why they feel that way."
PLATFORMS
The unique aspect of the Jan. 30-Feb. 5 poll is none of the questions were written by the polling firm. Each question came from the platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties in Oklahoma.
"We didn't want to test the issue, so to speak. We want to test how people respond," Shepard said. "How many people have actually sat down and read the party platforms. I bet very few people have."
Of the 517 likely voters surveyed for the poll, 51 percent considered themselves conservative, while 11 percent identified themselves as liberal. Moderates made up 32 percent of the respondents, and the rest couldn't make up their mind or refused to say. "Scott Cooper
