FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas released the results of the 2020 Arkansas Poll on Wednesday, revealing that support for President Donald Trump and Senator Tom Cotton remains high in the Natural State.
The 22nd annual Arkansas Poll, which was conducted through 804 telephone interviews with randomly selected adult Arkansans between Oct. 9 and Oct. 21, focused on the presidential and U.S. Senate races, statewide ballot measures, elected officials’ approval ratings in handling the coronavirus outbreak and support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.
Presidential Race:
Trump: 65%
Biden: 32%
Other: 3%
U.S. Senate Race:
Cotton: 75%
Harrington: 20%
Other: 5%
Amendment Extending Half-Cent Sales Tax for Roads and Highways:
Favor: 62%
Oppose: 38%
Amendment to Change Term Limits for State Legislators:
Favor: 60%
Oppose: 40%
Amendment to Change Requirements for Ballot Initiatives and Referrals:
Favor: 41%
Oppose: 59%
According to the University of Arkansas, for candidate contests, the poll has a track record of coming within two points of actual election results.
“While it appears President Trump will win fewer states nationwide in 2020 then he did in 2016, Arkansas is likely to be one of the few states in which he actually increases his vote share. This speaks to Arkansas’s recent switch to the Republican brand, a wholesale reversal of fortune in just a decade’s time,” said Janine Parry, poll director and professor of political science at the U of A.
The number of respondents who identify as Republican in Arkansas is now at an all-time high (44 percent) and the number who identify as Democrat is at an all-time low (20 percent), Parry noted.
The top three concerns with respondents were were healthcare (24 percent), the economy (23 percent) and politicians/politics (20 percent).
When it comes to public officials’ handling of the coronavirus, more than half, 59 percent, of respondents said President Trump was doing an “excellent” or “good” job, while 40 percent put his performance at only “fair” or “poor.”
Trump outperformed state officials (54 percent excellent or good, 44 percent only fair or poor), but underperformed local officials (60 percent excellent or good, 37 percent only fair or poor) and local hospitals (78 percent excellent or good, 18 percent only fair or poor).
Forty-four percent of Arkansans said they “strongly” or “somewhat” supported the Black Lives Matter Movement, while 52 percent said the “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed it.
The full 2020 Arkansas Poll Summary Report, protocols and historic outcomes can be found at the Arkansas Poll web page.
