Fairleigh Dickinson Polling Showed Americans Still View Gambling through a Moral Lens
In a recent poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind, Americans showed broader support for legalized marijuana than comprehensive legalized online casinos. The poll shows that half of the American electorate favor legalized marijuana. The same poll showed only 27% of Americans favor legal Internet gambling in the 47 states in which it is not allowed.
At the moment, 3 U.S. states have legalized online gambling, while 10 more have state legislators debating the advantages of legalization. Krista Jenkins, a professor of political science and the director of the poll, said the public is not ready for nationwide gambling. “Right now online gambling looks to be a long shot in the court of public opinion.”
Online Gambling Ignored by Most Americans
The same poll showed that 65% of Americans are not following news about online gambling. When these people were asked whether they would favor or oppose allowing local gaming interests to operate online gambling websites for people inside their state, only 27% responded positively. 63% said they would not approve of such a measure.
Similar polls were conducted in 2010 and 2012, and the Fairleigh Dickinson polling arrived at similar numbers to those earlier studies.
Polls on Legalizing Marijuana
The same respondents approved of a legalized pot, though the political parties showed a major split on the issue. 63% of Democrats favored legalizing marijuana in their state, while only 32% of Republicans supported such a measure. 58% of Independents said they would support legalized marijuana. Indepenents are often a key swing vote in many national elections, though the poll appears to have assumed the country has more Republicans, because the overall numbers “for” marijuana were an 50%.
Jenkins says Democrats seems to view marijuana as a lifestyle choice and the government has no right outlawing the activity. Republicans view pot as a moral issue and a sign of social deviance.
Why Study Online Gambling and Marijuana?
The two issues were polled together, because the researchers perceived both as similar types of issues: “vice” issues or moral issues. Krista Jenkins quipped, “American do not have the appetite (or munchies) for legalizing Internet gambling as they do for marijuana.”
Generational Gap on the Issues
The younger generation is much more supportive of legalizing both activities. Among Generation X responders, 56% were in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. Only 48% of Baby Boomers gave the same support, while only 36% of the World War II generation supported marijuana use.
Despite the split between America’s two main political parties, those differences are not as stark among the younger respondents. A much higher percentage of young Republicans supported legalized marijuana, while the numbers were overwhelming among Democrats. Jenkins says the numbers show legalization is more of a question of “when” than “if”.
At the moment, the states of Washington and Colorado have legalized recreational marijuana use. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware have legalized online gambling.
How the Poll Was Conducted
The Fairleigh Dickinson nationwide poll included 1,151 people over the age of 18. Everyone polled were residents of the United States. Polls were conducted through a mixture of landline phones and cellphones. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9%.
Internet Gaming Is a State Issue
Since only three U.S. states allow online gambling with a license, it should come as no surprise that the majority of the electorate is against the activity. The fact that the electorate in three states have supported such initiatives is a sign attitudes are not spread evenly throughout the country. If the Fairleigh Dickenson study is correct, then it appears iGaming is most likely to be passed in states controlled by the Democrats. This has been true so far. While Chris Christie is a Republican governor, he’s also a moderate Republican in a state which traditionally votes Democrat. Delaware votes Democrat, while Nevada is evenly split among liberals and conservatives.
Legal online gambling is likelier to be passed in states with younger demographics, as well. Statistics on the median ages of states contradict those findings, though. Nevada is 10th in the country in median age, though New Jersey and Delaware rank in the bottom half. The youngest states by median age are Utah, Alaska, and Texas–all states that have no chance of having such laws passed.
The numbers show that such issues are complicated, often based on local conditions. Still, the states which are most likely to pass pro-gaming laws in the near-future are ones with traditional progressive support: California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania come to mind.
