Rock Hill Survey—Fall 2003

Attitudes on Social and Racial Issues

This survey was conducted by Social & Behavioral Research Lab (SBRL) at Winthrop University under the supervision of Dr. Scott H. Huffmon. Dr. Huffmon is the Director of the SBRL and an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Winthrop University. The interviews were conducted by telephone using randomly generated telephone numbers and occurred in early November 2003. The survey queried respondents on numerous social and political issues.

The survey included 581 respondents, age 18 and older from Rock Hill and has a +/- 4.03% margin of error at the 95% confidence level

Below is the text of a handful of selected questions. Cell entries reflect the percentage of respondents who answered the question as indicated. The responses to some questions are further broken down by race and/or sex.

1. Some people seem to follow what’s going on in government and public affairs most of the time, whether there’s an election or not. Others aren’t that interested. How often would you say that you follow what is going on in government and public affairs: Most of the time, Some of the time, Only now and then, or Hardly at all?

Response	All
Most of the time	53.7
Some of the time	29.4
Only now and then	9.6
Hardly at all	7.2
Don’t know/Refused	0

* Now I’m going to read a series of statements on a number of issues, some political, some not. I would like for you to tell me whether you Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with each statement.

2. Our society should do whatever is necessary to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	40.1	36.0	55.2
Agree	50.6	53.1	42.2
Neither Agree nor Disagree	3.1	3.7	0.9
Disagree	3.8	4.4	1.7
Strongly Disagree	1.5	1.9	0
Don’t know/Refused	0.9	0.9	0

3. Even if people try hard, they often cannot reach their goal.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	9.8	9.3	9.5
Agree	51.3	53.6	43.1
Neither Agree nor Disagree	5.5	5.8	5.2
Disagree	26.7	25.1	35.3
Strongly Disagree	5.9	5.1	6.9
Don’t know/Refused	0.9	1.2	0

4. One of the big problems in this county is that we don’t give people an equal chance.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	12.4	7.7	25.9
Agree	35.3	30.9	47.4
Neither Agree nor Disagree	6.0	6.5	6.0
Disagree	36.8	44.1	18.1
Strongly Disagree	8.3	9.5	1.7
Don’t know/Refused	1.2	1.4	0.9

Response	Male	Female
Strongly Agree	11.6	14.2
Agree	28.7	38.5
Neither Agree nor Disagree	3.0	8.5
Disagree	45.1	32.3
Strongly Disagree	11.6	5.8
Don’t know/Refused	0.0	0.8

5. If people were treated more equally in this county, we would have fewer problems.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	11.4	7.0	22.4
Agree	43.4	41.1	53.4
Neither Agree nor Disagree	9.6	11.1	5.2
Disagree	29.1	33.9	15.5
Strongly Disagree	4.6	4.6	2.6
Don’t know/Refused	1.9	2.3	0.9

Response	Male	Female
Strongly Agree	12.8	10.0
Agree	37.8	48.1
Neither Agree nor Disagree	7.9	11.2
Disagree	31.7	27.7
Strongly Disagree	7.9	2.7
Don’t know/Refused	1.8	0.4

6. Affirmative action in education gives an opportunity to qualified blacks who might not have had a chance without it.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	12.2	5.6	34.5
Agree	51.1	50.1	56.0
Neither Agree nor Disagree	12.7	14.6	6.9
Disagree	16.4	20.4	2.6
Strongly Disagree	4.6	5.6	0
Don’t know/Refused	2.9	3.7	0

7. Racial discrimination is mostly a thing of the past.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	4.3	3.9	3.4
Agree	19.8	21.8	13.8
Neither Agree nor Disagree	5.9	7.0	2.6
Disagree	53.7	54.1	52.6
Strongly Disagree	15.7	12.3	27.6
Don’t know/Refused	0.7	0.9	0

8. Hard work offers little guarantee of success.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	6.2	4.6	10.3
Agree	22.2	20.0	26.7
Neither Agree nor Disagree	5.7	5.8	4.3
Disagree	54.2	56.4	52.6
Strongly Disagree	11.5	13.2	5.2
Don’t know/Refused	0.2	0	0.9

9. People like me don’t have any say about what the government does.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	6.7	5.8	9.5
Agree	23.8	21.8	25.9
Neither Agree nor Disagree	5.0	5.8	3.4
Disagree	53.5	53.6	56.9
Strongly Disagree	10.5	12.5	4.3
Don’t know/Refused	0.5	0.5	0

10. Affirmative Action for blacks is unfair to whites.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	5.7	6.5	2.6
Agree	30.8	34.6	13.8
Neither Agree nor Disagree	17.0	18.8	12.1
Disagree	37.2	32.7	56.9
Strongly Disagree	4.8	3.2	9.5
Don’t know/Refused	4.5	4.2	5.2

11. Most people on welfare are simply lazy.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	2.8	2.3	3.4
Agree	19.4	18.3	20.7
Neither Agree nor Disagree	11.9	13.7	6.9
Disagree	53.0	53.6	52.6
Strongly Disagree	10.5	9.3	14.7
Don’t know/Refused	2.4	2.8	1.7

Response	Male	Female
Strongly Agree	4.3	2.3
Agree	22.0	14.2
Neither Agree nor Disagree	10.4	13.1
Disagree	52.4	57.3
Strongly Disagree	8.5	11.9
Don’t know/Refused	2.4	1.2

12. Public officials don’t care much about what people like me think.

Response	All	White	Black
Strongly Agree	6.5	5.3	8.6
Agree	36.1	35.7	35.3
Neither Agree nor Disagree	9.1	9.3	10.3
Disagree	43.2	45.0	42.2
Strongly Disagree	3.8	3.7	2.6
Don’t know/Refused	1.2	0.9	0.9

13. The government has no right to track the personal affairs of ordinary people.

Response	All
Strongly Agree	13.1
Agree	46.5
Neither Agree nor Disagree	8.8
Disagree	28.6
Strongly Disagree	1.5
Don’t know/Refused	1.5

* Now, for some different types of questions.

14. Have you ever put off a trip to the doctor for you or a family member because of healthcare costs?

Response	All	White	Black
Yes	49.3	47.1	55.2
No	50.3	52.4	44.8
Don’t know/Refused	0.3	0.5	0

15. Would you say that things in America are currently on the right track, or headed in the wrong direction?

Response	All	White	Black
Yes	39.1	45.2	17.2
No	49.5	43.4	70.7
Don’t know/Refused	11.4	11.4	12.1

16. Would you say that things in the State of South Carolina are currently on the right track, or headed in the wrong direction?

Response	All	White	Black
Yes	47.2	51.3	32.8
No	39.0	34.3	54.3
Don’t know/Refused	13.8	14.4	12.9

17. Would you say that things in the City of Rock Hill are currently on the right track, or headed in the wrong direction?

Response	All	White	Black
Right track	59.1	61.9	48.3
Wrong direction	25.0	22.3	35.3
Don’t know/Refused	15.9	15.8	16.4

18. Would you say rate economic conditions in this country today as – excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Response	All	White	Black
Excellent	3.6	3.9	1.7
Good	35.1	39.2	21.6
Only Fair	40.2	39.0	42.2
Poor	20.9	17.9	33.6
Don’t know/Refused	0.2	0	0.9

19. Would you rate economic conditions in the state of South Carolina today as – excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Response	All	White	Black
Excellent	2.8	1.9	4.3
Good	26.3	26.9	22.4
Only Fair	46.1	47.1	44.0
Poor	23.0	22.0	27.6
Don’t know/Refused	1.9	2.1	1.7

20. Would you rate economic conditions in the City of Rock Hill today as – excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

Response	All	White	Black
Excellent	3.6	3.2	2.6
Good	40.4	42.7	37.1
Only Fair	38.7	37.8	43.1
Poor	14.5	13.2	15.5
Don’t know/Refused	2.8	3.0	1.7

21. Recently the City of Rock Hill has voted to officially recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. What type of events, if any, do you think the city should sponsor in honor of this holiday? Should the city sponsor Events that honor the life of Luther King, or Events that honor Rock Hill’s progress toward King’s dream of unity?

Response	All	White	Black
Events that honor the life of MLK	21.6	16.9	37.9
Events that honor Rock Hill’s progress	44.6	47.6	36.2
Both of the above	15.9	13.7	24.1
The city should not celebrate this holiday	12.1	15.3	0.9
Don’t know/Refused	5.9	6.5	0.9

22. How concerned are you about job security? That is, how worried are you about losing your job within the next year? Would you say that you are Very worried, Somewhat worried, or Not at all worried?

Response	All	White	Black
Very worried	9.8	7.2	16.4
Somewhat worried	19.3	16.9	31.0
Not at all worried	52.7	55.5	39.7
Does not have a job	17.1	19.0	12.9
Don’t know/Refused	1.0	1.4	0

23. How likely do you think it is that you would need additional training or more education, if you had to find a new job within the next year? Would you say it is Very likely, Somewhat likely, Not at all likely?

Response	All
Very likely	28.5
Somewhat likely	35.8
Not at all worried	31.8
Don’t know/Refused	4.0

24. Do you have Internet or email access at home?

Response	All
Yes	62.5
No	37.5
Don’t know/Refused	0

25. Do you have Internet or email access at work or school?

Response	All
Yes	59.1
No	37.0
Don’t know/Refused	4.0

26. Do you have a cell phone for personal use?

Response	All
Yes	67.0
No	33.0
Don’t know/Refused	0

27. Do you have a hand held computer or PDA?

Response	All
Yes	15.9
No	83.9
Don’t know/Refused	0.2

28. Do you have a home computer?

Response	All
Yes	74.1
No	25.9
Don’t know/Refused	0

29. In general, how comfortable do you feel with new technologies? Would you say that you are Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, or Not at all comfortable?

Response	All	White	Black
Very comfortable	39.6	40.6	35.3
Somewhat comfortable	50.4	49.4	56.0
Not at all comfortable	9.5	9.3	8.6
Don’t know/Refuse	0.5	0.7	0

30. I would like for you to think of your FIVE closest friends.

How many of them are of the same race as you?

Response	All	White	Black
One (1)	1.7	0.9	4.3
Two (2)	7.9	6.5	12.9
Three (3)	19.7	18.3	24.1
Four (4)	17.3	19.3	9.5
Five (5)	48.7	52.4	41.4
NONE	2.1	0.7	1.7
Don’t know/Refused	2.6	1.9	6.0

31. In general, how satisfied are you with the city services in Rock Hill? Would you say that you are Very satisfied, Somewhat satisfied, or Not at all satisfied?

Response	All	White	Black
Very satisfied	19.2	21.8	11.2
Somewhat satisfied	63.5	59.6	77.6
Not at all satisfied	7.7	7.0	8.6
Don’t know/Refused	9.5	11.6	2.6

32. Have you contacted any elected official within the last year?

Response	All	White	Black
Yes	32.5	36.2	18.1
No	67.1	63.3	81.9
Don’t know/Refused	0.3	0.5	0

33. How comfortable are you working with people of a different race? Would you say you are Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, or Not at all comfortable?

Response	All	White	Black
Very comfortable	87.0	86.6	79.3
Somewhat comfortable	12.5	11.1	19.0
Not at all comfortable	0.3	0.2	0.9
Don’t know/Refuse	0.2	0	0.9

34. How comfortable are you socializing with people of a different race? Would you say you are Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, or Not at all comfortable?

Response	All	White	Black
Very comfortable	77.0	75.4	80.2
Somewhat comfortable	21.5	23.0	18.1
Not at all comfortable	1.0	1.2	0.9
Don’t know/Refuse	0.5	0.5	0.9

* Now I’d like to ask some questions about various aspects relating to politics. Some you may be familiar with, while some you may not.

35. Do you know what job Dick Cheney holds?

Response	All
Vice President	66.7
Any other answer	8.1
Don’t know/Refused	25.1

36. Do you know what job William Rehnquist holds?

Response	All
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court	15.8
Any another including (“Supreme Court Justice”)	20.6
Don’t know/Refused	63.6

37. Do you know what job Mark Sanford holds?

Response	All
Governor of SC	64.3
Any other answer	7.3
Don’t know/Refused	28.4

38. Do you know what job Andre Bauer holds?

Response	All
Lieutenant Governor	15.5
Any other answer	12.8
Don’t know/Refused	71.7

39. Do you know how many members serve on the Supreme Court?

Response	All
Nine (9)	25.5
Any other answer	34.5
Don’t know/Refused	39.9

40. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Response	All
Approve	53.5
Disapprove	41.3
Don’t know/Refused	5.2

41. Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Spratt is handling his job as US Congressman?

Response	All
Approve	56.8
Disapprove	16.3
Don’t know/Refused	26.9

42. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Lindsey Graham is handling his job as US Senator?

Response	All
Approve	45.5
Disapprove	15.6
Don’t know/Refused	38.9

43. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Doug Echols is handling his job as mayor of Rock Hill?

Response	All
Approve	67.2
Disapprove	13.7
Don’t know/Refused	19.1

44. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Wes Hayes is handling his job as state senator?

Response	All
Approve	59.7
Disapprove	13.7
Don’t know/Refused	26.6

45. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Rock Hill City Council is handling its job?

Response	All
Approve	62.8
Disapprove	20.3
Don’t know/Refused	16.8