An interesting result.

[randomness]

Public Policy Polling, a "Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina" decided to ask Mississippi Republicans their preferences in the upcoming presidential primary. As Haley Barbour is from Mississippi, there's no particular surprise that he's leading the race, as the choice of 37% of those polled.

What was surprising was the following:

We asked voters on this poll whether they think interracial marriage should be legal or illegal- 46% of Mississippi Republicans said it should be illegal to just 40% who think it should be legal. For the most part there aren't any huge divides in how voters view the candidates or who they support for the nomination based on their attitudes about interracial marriage but there are a few exceptions.

Palin's net favorability with folks who think interracial marriage should be illegal (+55 at 74/19) is 17 points higher than it is with folks who think interracial marriage should be legal (+38 at 64/26.) Meanwhile Romney's favorability numbers see the opposite trend. He's at +23 (53/30) with voters who think interracial marriage should be legal but 19 points worse at +4 (44/40) with those who think it should be illegal. Tells you something about the kinds of folks who like each of those candidates.

Of course, one should also check out the polling organization involved: Public Policy Polling scores reasonably well in these articles from the Wall Street Journal, Pollster.com, and FiveThirtyEight.com. As Carl Bialik said in the Wall Street Journal article:

At the same time, interactive voice response polls, or IVRs, were as accurate as live-interview surveys, and more thorough. Among phone pollsters, IVR firms SurveyUSA and Rasmussen were active in more states in the last week than any competitor, and Public Policy Polling, which also uses IVR, ranked fourth.

Dustin Ingalls, from PPP adds in a comment:

BTW, we did ask this interracial marriage question of everyone, not just Republicans, but we'll be releasing the full results on that at a later date.

In any case, more polling is needed, because it seems unfair to have singled out Mississippi Republicans on this question. I'd like to see this question asked of the American electorate in every state, regardless of party affiliation.

Of course, I have a vested interest in this.

Original link from Andrew Sullivan.

Comments

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

I'm stunned/appalled by this after noting many many happy interracial couples on my recent USA trip. I was staying near a waterfront area (in Los Angeles) that seemed to be a "date night" destination, so Love was in the air - hence, plenty of couples on display for me to observe.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

This is why I think more polling--around the world, really--is needed.

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

sure- I volunteer to publicly smooch my racially-diverse boyfriend in places like Italy and Tahiti, and see what the reactions are. It'll be For Science!

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Some time last spring I was in a Texas Roadhouse in West Springfield MA, and I thought, hey, wow, there are a lot of interracial couples here! It sort of showed me that this has become common and accepted in in my neighborhood... mostly. My next door neighbors are in an interracial relationship, I'm in one, and... well my next door neighbors on the other side are both Irish Catholic and she's pretty racist still but I gather that his family is workin' on her. *shrug* Baby steps forward, I hope?

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile Romney's favorability numbers see the opposite trend. He's at +23 (53/30) with voters who think interracial marriage should be legal but 19 points worse at +4 (44/40) with those who think it should be illegal. Tells you something about the kinds of folks who like each of those candidates.

Yes, that people who are more okay with interracial marriage are also more okay with members of the LDS church. They'd probably be more okay with a Catholic candidate as well.

This doesn't really tell us much about who likes _each_ of these candidates separately, because I'm sure some of the Romney likers like Palin too and vv.

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

We asked voters on this poll whether they think interracial marriage should be legal or illegal

I cynically wonder what percentage of the nay-sayers didn't really understand the question.

[dpolicar]

(bang)
(bang)
(bang)
(bang)
(bang)
(bang)

(pause)

Oh dear. My desk appears to be bloody.

(falls over)

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

I had a moment of "Why did they even ask this... oh wait, yeah, they DO need to ask this."

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

If I had the money I'd fund the polling. This is personally useful information.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised. When Alabama finally voted to repeal their anti-miscegenation clause in their constitution, in _2000_, 40 percent voted to keep it.

It's why I mock the people who get all snotty about how "the courts shouldn't interfere with the political process" in regards to gay marriage. If the deep South had their way, they'd still be arresting people for marrying, and proudly trumpeting how it was their "heritage".

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

I still think singling out the South is unfair. Poll everyone, see what results you get, and then we'll see.

You're still free to mock anyone you like, though. :)

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

shocking. And i am amazed that it was IN MY LIFETIME that the Supreme Court made it have to be legal in all states. Do not want to live in the South.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

See previous comment re: the South.

I suspect that's not the only place I'd have trouble. And I want to find out.

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

Dear 2011, the 50s called and asked for their prejudices back.

Damned idiots.