Montana Poll Examines ERA Knowledge, Marijuana Legalization, Data Regulations
MISSOULA – The latest iteration of the ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Big Sky Poll probed voters’ knowledge of the Equal Rights Amendment and opinions about marijuana legalization and data regulations.
Each edition of the ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ poll includes a Montana trivia question. Montanans were asked this question: “To date, 38 states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. To the best of your knowledge, is Montana one of the 38 states that has ratified the ERA?”
Thirty-one percent of respondents answered correctly with “yes.” On Jan. 25, 1974, Montana became the 32nd state to ratify the ERA, a constitutional amendment that guarantees legal gender equality for men and women. Nine percent of respondents answered incorrectly with “no,” while 60% of respondents said “don’t know.”
Respondents also were asked, “Do you think recreational marijuana should be legal in Montana?” Fifty-four percent of respondents answered “yes,” and 37% answered “no.” The “yes” response from Montanans increased slightly from the 2019 Big Sky Poll, when 51% supported legalization.
When asked, “In your opinion, should internet users be able to ask for the data a company has collected about them and who the data has been sold to?” 92% of respondents answered “yes,” compared to 5% responding “no.”
The ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Big Sky Poll was conducted online Feb. 12-22 with 498 randomly selected likely Montana voters. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.39 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The poll is directed by ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Associate Professor Sara Rinfret, chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy; ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ marketing Associate Professor Justin Angle; and four graduate students from ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ’s public administration, law and business analytics programs.
The survey was commissioned with support from ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ’s Office of Research and Creative Scholarship, the Baucus Institute’s Department of Public Administration and Policy, and the Social Science Research Laboratory.
Use of poll findings requires attribution to ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Big Sky Poll. Full results from the poll are available on the ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Big Sky Poll website at .
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Contact: Dr. Sara Rinfret, associate professor and chair, ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Department of Public Administration and Policy, 406-243-4702, sara.rinfret@umontana.edu.