Publication date: November 18th, 2024
Written by: Travis N. Taylor PHD
The Center for Excellence in Polling recently surveyed likely voters in South Carolina on issues facing the Palmetto State. While voters are divided along party lines on some issues, many commonsense reforms found support across the political spectrum from Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
In addition to voters’ preferences for work over welfare and opposition to politicized banking and public school curricula, voters were also surveyed about election integrity measures, reforms to government unions, and income and property tax reductions.
Palmetto State voters support unemployment indexing to encourage out-of-work South Carolinians to return to work more quickly.
66%
…of likely voters support unemployment indexing, which ties the duration of unemployment benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. While a majority (55%) of Independent voters are in favor of indexing, support is strongest among partisan voters, with 74 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats expressing support.
Voters oppose allowing large banks to deny services to customers based on political, social, or religious views.
86%
…of likely voters oppose debanking the practice of large banks denying or canceling services to customers because the bank disagrees with the customer’s political, social, or religious views. Voters oppose debanking, regardless of political affiliation, with nearly eight in ten Democrats and nine in ten Republicans and Independents saying they disagree with the practice.
Voters oppose the teaching of critical race theory—a suite of racially divisive and anti-American concepts—in South Carolina’s public schools.
54%
…of likely voters oppose allowing critical race theory to be taught in South Carolina’s public schools. Voters were informed that critical race theory teaches that the U.S. government and laws were established to discriminate against racial minorities and that people are naturally racist. A strong majority of Republicans (70%) and Independents (57%) expressed opposition to such instruction for public school students in the Palmetto State. |
South Carolinians support mandatory employment and training program participation for food stamp recipients.
70%
…of likely voters support mandatory employment and training (E&T) participation—requiring able-bodied adults under 60 years old without children under six to work, train, or volunteer at least part time as a condition of eligibility for food stamps. This commonsense welfare integrity measure garners support from voters across the political spectrum, with two-thirds of Democrats (64%) and Independents (69%), and three in four Republicans (75%) in favor.
The bottom line
Results from this poll indicate that South Carolina voters have an appetite for reforms to get politics out of the classroom and the boardroom and to encourage work over welfare. Policymakers have the opportunity to enact meaningful reforms that enjoy broad support from voters to move South Carolina in the right direction.