Current Findings

 

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – South Carolina residents find themselves split on the direction the country needs to take with health care, much like many other Americans, according to the latest Winthrop Poll.

A third of respondents said they are strongly in favor of getting their health coverage from a single government plan, while 38% strongly oppose. 

One solution that could work – and is supported by more than half of S.C. residents - is a government administered health plan where individuals could keep the coverage they have if they prefer. This was a favorable method in a national poll taken by the Kaiser Family Foundation in January 2019.

Nearly three-quarters of S.C. respondents were in favor of allowing people who don’t get health insurance at work to buy insurance through their state Medicaid program instead of purchasing a private plan. 

Expanding health care coverage for Americans as they age also was a popular choice the Winthrop Poll found out. A large majority of S.C. residents would like Medicare coverage expanded so those ages 50 through 64 can buy insurance coverage.

Currently, the federal health insurance program is for those 65 and older and for certain younger people with serious disabilities. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found similar results with nearly 8 out of 10 backing this idea.

Winthrop Poll Director Scott Huffmon observed that, “When plans aren't branded with an obviously identifiable partisan or ideological label, South Carolinians’ preferences line up fairly closely to those of the national population.”

TRUMP’S RATINGS

President Donald Trump’s followers in the Palmetto state remain steadfast in backing the nation’s leader with a 43% approval rating. His approval numbers continue to be a few points higher than the national average of 41.9% as measured April 13 by Gallup. Trump has a disapproval rating of 46% among S.C. citizens.

The long-awaited Mueller Report was released to the public on April 18, after data collection for this poll was completed, so Trump’s approval ratings in this Winthrop Poll were not affected by the report’s findings. Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed by Department of Justice two years ago to probe the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

The S.C. residents who identify with the Democratic Party give the 45th president an 86% disapproval rating, which is a much higher number than the national average of 53%.

Meanwhile, only 17% of South Carolina residents approve of the way federal lawmakers are handling their job in Congress.

ECONOMY AND REPARATIONS

Nearly three-quarters of South Carolina residents said the condition of our country’s economy is very good or fairly good and more than half said it is getting better. They also have a very favorable view of the state’s economy with 73% saying it is either very or fairly good.

In a separate issue, 59% of residents said they would not be in favor of reparations paid to the descendants of American slaves to make up for the harm caused by slavery. A split occurred along party lines and among racial lines: 84% of GOP followers were not in favor, while 63% of Democratic followers were in favor. Nearly three-quarters of African Americans said financial reparations should be made, while only 15% of whites agreed.

Huffmon noted, “If you compare these numbers to a national poll done two years ago using the same wording, two things stand out. First, an identical number of white respondents, 15%, favor reparations. However, the number of African Americans favoring reparations in South Carolina is significantly higher than nationally. This may be because overall attitudes in the black community have evolved or because African Americans in a Deep South state may be more likely to face frequent prejudice than African Americans in other parts of the country. It could also be because African Americans in the South frequently see monuments, flags, and statues that glorify the Confederacy and frequently bring to mind the period of chattel slavery.”

SC GOVERNOR HENRY MCMASTER, US SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, AND OTHERS

S.C. Governor Henry McMaster’s approval rating in South Carolina stands at 52% which has remained steady through his first months in office. Nearly 3/4 of GOP residents back the former lieutenant governor. Democrats aren’t as fond of the governor, with only a third giving McMaster a positive rating. 

The S.C. General Assembly got an approval nod from 45% of those polled while 31% disapprove of the job they’re doing. Lawmakers are handling several important issues this spring, including education and teacher raises to stop the high turnover rate of teachers quitting the profession.

A little more than half of S.C. residents approve of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. His approval rating among Republicans has risen greatly as Graham has become closer with Trump. His approval among Republicans, and those who lean Republican, stands at 74%, while only 1/4 of Democrats support Graham. Huffmon observed, “The substantial increase in Graham’s approval rating among Republicans appears to be long lasting. Consistently offering vocal support of Trump, who 4 in 5 SC Republicans approve of, has been an excellent strategy for shoring up support among Graham’s base and, presumably, further inoculating him from a serious primary challenge.”

The state’s junior senator, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, continues to be highly rated among the Republican base where three-quarters of those in the GOP and leaners approve of Scott. His popularity among the general public remains high as well, with a 56% approval rating. 

METHODOLOGY

For this latest Winthrop Poll, callers surveyed 942 adult residents in South Carolina by landline and cell phone March 30 through April 13. The prolonged dates are due to the fact that the calling center was converting to a new Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system and working on survey contracts. Data using all respondents have a margin of error of approximately +/- 3.2% at the 95% confidence level. Any subset will have a larger margin of error. Margins of error are based on unweighted sample size and account for design effects.

 

Table 1:

	Census	April 2019 Winthrop Poll
Male	47.9412	49
Female	52.05879	51
18-19	4.0608	3.9
20-29	17.966	17.3
30-39	16.4846	16.2
40-49	17.9802	17.5
50-59	17.7694	17.4
60-69	13.9953	13.8
70-79	7.5244	7.4
80-89	3.5764	3.5
90-99	0.6247	0.6
over 100	0.0184	0
Refused	--	2.5
White	68.57	67.1
Black	26.5	25.2
Other	4.93	5.3
Refused	--	2.4

 

 

Table 2:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President of the United States?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with,   “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)	National Approval (FiveThirtyEight Tracking Average 4/13/19)
Approve	43	79	7	41.9
Disapprove	46	13	86	52.8
Not Sure	8	6	6
Refused	2	2	1

                                                                                                  

 

Table 3:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with, “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents
Approve	17
Disapprove	69
Not Sure	12
Refused	2

 

 

Table 4:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way Henry McMaster is handling his job as Governor of South Carolina?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with, “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)
Approve	52	70	33
Disapprove	25	12	43
Not Sure	20	16	22
Refused	2	1	2

 

 

Table 5:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way the South Carolina State Legislature is handling its job?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with, “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents
Approve	45
Disapprove	31
Not Sure	21
Refused	3

 

 

Table 6:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way Lindsey Graham is handling his job as a United States Senator for South Carolina?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with, “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)
Approve	51	74	25
Disapprove	36	17	58
Not Sure	12	9	16
Refused	1	0	1

 

 

Table 7:  Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tim Scott is handling his job as a United States Senator for South Carolina?

[CALLER: if 'not sure/don't know,' probe with, “It doesn't have to be specific, just in general, would you say you more approve or more disapprove?”]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)
Approve	56	75	36
Disapprove	22	9	38
Not Sure	20	15	24
Refused	2	1	2

 

 

Table 8:  How would you rate the condition of the economy of the country as a whole these days? Is it very good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad?

	All Respondents
Very Good	21
Fairly Good	52
Fairly Bad	16
Very Bad	9
Not Sure	2
Refused	0

 

 

 

Table 9:  Right now, do you think that economic conditions in the country as a whole are getting better or getting worse?

	All Respondents
Getting Better	56
Getting Worse	35
Not Sure [volunteered]	8
Refused	1

 

 

 

Table 10:  How would you rate the condition of the economy of South Carolina these days? Is it very good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad?

	All Respondents
Very Good	18
Fairly Good	55
Fairly Bad	18
Very Bad	7
Not Sure	3
Refused	0

 

 

 

Table 11:  Right now, do you think that economic conditions in South Carolina are getting better or getting worse?

	All Respondents
Getting Better	63
Getting Worse	26
Not Sure [volunteered]	10
Refused	1

 

 

Table 12:  As a way to make up for the harm caused by slavery and other forms of racial discrimination, do you think the United States should or should not pay reparations, that is, should or should not pay money to African Americans who are descendants of slaves?

	All Respondents	Whites	African Americans	GOP (incl Leaners)	Dem (incl Leaners)
SHOULD	31	15	72	9	63
Should NOT	59	75	18	84	29
Don't know/ not sure	7	7	7	5	7
Refused	3	3	3	3	2

 

National Marist Poll – May 2016 Identical Question
	All Respondents	Whites	African Americans
SHOULD	26	15	58
Should NOT	68	81	35
Don't know/ not sure	6	5	7

 

 

Table 13:  Do you favor or oppose having a national healthcare plan, sometimes called Medicare-for-all, in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan? Do you feel that way Strongly or Somewhat?

	All Respondents	National Kaiser Family Foundation Poll – Jan 2019	Republicans	Democrats
Strongly Favor	31	34	13	53
Somewhat Favor	15	22	10	19
Somewhat Oppose	9	10	10	6
Strongly Oppose	38	32	63	12
Don't Know Refused	7	2	5	9

 

 

 

 

Table 14:  Do you favor or oppose creating a national government administered health plan similar to Medicare that would be open to anyone, but would allow people to keep the coverage they have if they prefer? Do you feel that way Strongly or Somewhat?

	All Respondents	National Kaiser Family Foundation Poll – Jan 2019	Republicans	Democrats
Strongly Favor	48	49	29	74
Somewhat Favor	23	24	24	19
Somewhat Oppose	6	8	9	0
Strongly Oppose	17	16	31	3
Don't Know Refused	6	2	8	4

 

 

Table 15:  Do you favor or oppose allowing people who don’t get health insurance at work to buy insurance through their state Medicaid program instead of purchasing a private plan? Do you feel that way Strongly or Somewhat?

	All Respondents	National Kaiser Family Foundation Poll – Jan 2019	Republicans	Democrats
Strongly Favor	43	45	31	56
Somewhat Favor	30	30	32	30
Somewhat Oppose	6	10	10	2
Strongly Oppose	10	9	16	4
Don't Know Refused	11	7	11	9

  

Table 16:  Do you favor or oppose allowing people between the ages of 50 and 64 to buy insurance through the Medicare program? Do you feel that way Strongly or Somewhat?

	All Respondents	National Kaiser Family Foundation Poll – Jan 2019	Republicans	Democrats
Strongly Favor	49	49	39	62
Somewhat Favor	28	28	33	22
Somewhat Oppose	6	8	10	4
Strongly Oppose	9	10	11	6
Don't Know Refused	8	5	8	7

 

Table 17:  Some local governments, especially those nearer to the South Carolina coast, have banned the use of single-use plastic bags and containers by local businesses in those areas. There is currently a bill in the South Carolina Legislature that would remove the power of local governments to enact bans such as this. If passed, those bans would no longer be in place and only the South Carolina Legislature could pass such regulations in the future. Do you think: 

[CALLER: Rotate]

Local governments SHOULD be allowed to ban single-use plastics

or

Local Governments should NOT be able to ban single-use plastics

[CALLER: if asked, it is SC Senate Bill S394]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)
SHOULD	60	57	65
Should NOT	33	35	31
Don't know/ not sure	6	8	4
Refused	1	1	0

 

Table 18:  Education is frequently mentioned as one of the most important issues facing South Carolina. I’m going to read six different ideas some have suggested to improve education in South Carolina. Please tell me which ONE of these suggestions you think would be the BEST way to begin to address issues regarding K through 12 Education in South Carolina?

[CALLER: if asked: K through 12 means kindergarten through high school]

[CALLER: Read aloud and Rotate items 1 – 6]

	All Respondents	GOP (including Leaners)	Democrats (incl Leaners)
Raising teacher pay	41	37	48
Shrinking class sizes	16	18	14
Adding more armed police officers	4	5	3
Reducing the number of standardized tests	8	11	4
Lowering administration costs	6	8	2
Providing more financial assistance to rural schools	18	13	24
Something else	6	6	3
No Problem with SC Education	0	0	1
Don’t Know/ Refused	2	2	1

  

 

See full methodology page for more info.

Contact Information:
Judy Longshaw
803/323-2402 (office)
803/984-0586 (cell)

The Winthrop Poll is paid for by Winthrop University.

For additional information, or to set up an interview with Dr. Scott Huffmon, please contact Judy Longshaw at longshawj@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2404.

Note: Winthrop University, located in Rock Hill, S.C., is a nationally recognized public university offering graduate and undergraduate degrees to an inclusive, international student body.