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Hamilton College Youth and Guns Poll


APPENDIX



The third in a series of national youth opinion polls conducted by Hamilton College students and faculty

Press Release
Executive Summary
Analysis
Appendix

RESPONSES TO ALL QUESTIONS: (Weighted)*

1) YEAR IN SCHOOL
YEAR IN SCHOOL %
Sophomore 34.1
Junior 33.5
Senior 32.4
TOTAL 100.0
[SKOLYR]

2) SCHOOL TYPE
SCHOOL TYPE %
Public 90.6
Catholic 3.3
Private 6.2
TOTAL 100.0
[SKOL]

3) SCHOOL SIZE
SCHOOL SIZE %
Under 500 21.8
500-1000 28.9
1000-2000 31.8
Over 2000 16.0
Not Sure 1.5
TOTAL 100.0
[SKOLSIZE]

4) SCHOOL SAFE
Would you rate your school as very safe, fairly safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe?
SCHOOL SAFE %
Very Safe 44.6
Safe 49.0
Unsafe 5.4
Very Unsafe 1.0
TOTAL 100.0
[SKOLSAFE]

5) PERSONAL SAFETY
Are you ever concerned about personal safety at school, or on the way to and from school?
PERSONAL SAFETY %
Yes 16.7
No 83.3
TOTAL 100.0
[RSAFE]

6) CARRY GUN
Has anyone you know ever carried a gun in school or on the way to or from school?
CARRY GUN %
Yes 18.4
No 81.6
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNCARRY]

7) THREATENED OR SHOT
Do you know of anyone in your school who has been threatened with a gun or shot at?
THREATENED OR SHOT %
Yes 31.1
No 67.8
Not Sure 1.1
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNTHRET]

8) SHOT?
Not including military combat, have you or anyone close to you-- such as a friend or relative -- ever been shot by a gun?
SHOT %
Yes 25.7
No 74.3
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNSHOT]

9) GUN DISCUSSION
Within the last year, have you discussed gun controlissues in class, at home or with your friends?
GUN DISCUSSION %
Yes 81.0
No 19.0
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNTALK]

10) GUN MEDIA
Have you seen anything about gun control issues in the media?
GUN MEDIA %
Yes 90.9
No 9.1
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNMEDIA]

11) STRICTER GUN LAWS?
In general, do you feel that laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict,less strict or kept as they are now?
STRICTER GUN LAWS %
More Strict 64.6
Less Strict 5.2
Same 28.6
Not sure 1.6
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNLAWS]

12) COOLING OFF PERIOD
Require a 5-day waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a handgun, to keep the buyer from acting on impulse against himself or others.
COOLING OFF PERIOD %
Approve 88.5
Disapprove 9.6
Not Sure 2.0
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWCOOL]

13) REGISTER HANDGUNS
Register all handguns, at the time of purchase, so that they could be traced by the police when necessary for criminal investigations.
REGISTER HANDGUNS %
Approve 96.0
Disapprove 4.0
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWREG]

14) BACKGROUND CHECK
Require all handgun buyers to pass a criminal background check, whether they are buying the gun from a gun dealer or a private individual; at a store or gun show?
BACKGROUND CHECK %
Approve 92.1
Disapprove 7.9
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWCHECK]

15) LICENSE
Require handgun buyers to obtain a gun owner's license before purchasing a handgun.
LICENSE %
Approve 90.3
Disapprove 9.7
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWLIC]

16) RAISE AGE
Raise the age at which someone can purchase a handgun from 18 to 21.
RAISE AGE %
Approve 64.4
Disapprove 34.0
Not Sure 1.6
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWAGE]

17) BAN CIVILIANPOSSESSION
Ban the possession of handguns except by the police and other authorized personnel.
BAN CIVILIAN
POSSESSION		 %
Approve 37.6
Disapprove 59.9
Not Sure 2.4
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWBAN]

18) BAN ALL POSSESSION
Ban the possession of handguns by all persons, even the police.
BAN ALL POSSESSION %
Approve 11.1
Disapprove 87.4
Not Sure 1.5
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWBANS]

19) TRIGGER LOCK
Require all guns sold in the US to have a trigger lock, a device that prevents a gun from being fired until the device is unlocked and removed.
TRIGGER LOCK %
Approve 86.7
Disapprove 13.3
TOTAL 100.0
[SAFETRIG]

20) SAFETY COURSE
Require anyone who wants to buy a gun to first pass a gun safety course.

SAFETY COURSE %
Approve 88.6
Disapprove 10.1
Not Sure 1.3
TOTAL 100.0
[SAFECOUR]

21) CHILDREN AND SAFE STORAGE
Hold adults criminally responsible if they fail to store a gun safely and a child harms himself or someone else with that gun.
CHILDREN AND SAFE STORAGE %
Approve 77.6
Disapprove 22.4
TOTAL 100.0
[SAFESTOR]

22) LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN
The government should do everything it can to keep handguns out of the hands of criminals, even if it means that it will be harder for law-abiding citizens to purchase handguns.
LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN %
Strong Agree 42.4
Agree 40.3
Disagree 11.3
Strong Disagree 4.7
Not Sure 1.2
TOTAL 100.0
[LAWABIDE]

23) CONSTITUTION
In your opinion, does the US Constitution guarantee individual citizens the right to own firearms?
CONSTITUTION %
Yes 80.6
No 13.2
Not Sure 6.1
TOTAL 100.0
[CONSTIT]

24) REGULATION ANDCONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
Do you believe that laws regulating the sale and use of handguns violate the constitutional rights of gun owners?(Not asked of respondents who answered No on #23).
REGULATION AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS %
Yes 30.0
No 63.7
Not Sure 6.3
TOTAL 100.0
[CONLAW]

Questions 25 to 30 measure potential for gun-control activism.They were not asked of a small group of respondents (about 8 percent of the sample)who responses to items 11 (less or same) and/or 15 (disapprove) revealed that they were generally opposed to control measures.

25) ACTIVISM: PETITION
Suppose a friend who thinks like you do about these issues asked you to sign a petition calling for stronger gun control laws. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being very Unlikely and 5 being very likely, how likely is it that you would sign the petition
ACTIVISM: PETITION %
Very Unlikely (5) 9.4
(4) 4.9
(3) 16.7
(2) 26.0
Very likely (1) 43.1
100.0 TOTAL
[PETITION]

26) ACTIVISM: MEETING
Attend a meeting of a group that promotes stricter gun control.
ACTIVISM: MEETING %
Very unlikely (5) 15.9
(4) 13.1
(3) 29.1
(2) 23.0
Very likely (1) 18.9
TOTAL 100.0
[MEETING]

27) ACTIVISM: OFFICIAL
Attend a meeting of students with a local official to urge passage of stricter gun laws.
ACTIVISM: OFFICIAL %
Very unlikely (5) 13.2
(4) 13.5
(3) 25.5
(2) 24.3
Very likely (1) 23.5
TOTAL 100.0
[OFFICIAL]

28) ACTIVISM: MARCH
Participate in a demonstration or protest march for stronger gun control.

ACTIVISM: MARCH %
Very unlikely (5) 25.9
(4) 18.7
(3) 22.0
(2) 19.8
Very likely (1) 13.6
TOTAL 100.0
[MARCH]

29) ACTIVISM: VOLUNTEER 5 HOURS
Volunteer 5 hours a week for a gun control group.
ACTIVISM: VOLUNTEER
5 HOURS		 %
Very Unlikely (5) 30.9
(4) 19.3
(3) 22.9
(2) 17.1
Very likely (1) 9.8
TOTAL 100.0
[FIVE HRS]

30) ACTIVISM: YOUTH INFLUENCE
On the same 1-to-5 scale, how likely do you think it is that organized efforts by young people could influence gun laws?
ACTIVISM:
YOUTH INFLUENCE		 %
Very unlikely (5) 6.7
(4) 9.6
(3) 27.3
(3) 33.2
Very likely (1) 21.9
Not sure 1.3
TOTAL 100.0
[YOUNG]

31) POPULATION
Which best describes the place you live? Rural Area; Suburb; Town or City under 100k; Medium-sized City, between 100k & 500k; Large City over 500k.

POPULATION %
Rural area 26.9
Suburb 23.4
Town<100k 23.2
City100-500k 16.7
City500k+ 8.0
Not Sure 1.8
TOTAL 100.0
[PLACE]

32) NEIGHBORHOOD INCOMES
Compared to other Americans, would you say that the families in your neighborhood have incomesin thetop third, in the middle third, or in the lower third?
NEIGHBORHOOD INCOMES %
Top1/3 18.7
Middle1/3 68.2
Lower1/3 8.7
Not Sure 4.4
TOTAL 100.0
[PLACE$$$]

33) NEIGHBORHOOD GUN PURCHASE
Would it be easy for a person your age, living in your neighborhood to obtain a handgun?
NEIGHBORHOOD GUN PURCHASE %
Yes 44.5
No 49.1
Not Sure 6.4
TOTAL 100.0
[GETGUN]

34) NEIGHBORHOOD GUN VIOLENCE
To your knowledge, has anyone ever been killed or seriously injured by a gunshot in your neighborhood?
NEIGHBORHOOD GUN VIOLENCE %
Yes 26.8
No 73.2
TOTAL 100.0
[GUNKILL]

35) WHEN GUN VIOLENCE?
How recently did this happen? Stop me when I get to the right time period. Within the last week, within . .. (Asked only of respondents who answered Yes to #34)
WHEN GUN VIOLENCE? %
Last week 8.3
Last mo. 6.9
Last 6mo. 19.0
Last Yr. 23.0
Over Yr. 42.8
TOTAL 100.0
[WHENKILL]

36) SEX
SEX %
Male 48.2
Female 51.8
TOTAL 100.0
[SEX]

37) RACE/ ETHNICITY
Which category best describes your ethnic or racial background?White, Black or African American, Hispanic, Asian, Other or Mixed.
RACE/ ETHNICITY %
White 72.6
Black 11.0
Hispanic 8.6
Asian 3.6
Other/ Mixed 4.3
TOTAL 100.0
[RACEETH]

38) PARENTS
Do you live with both parents, your mother only, your mother and stepfather, your father only,or your father and stepmother, neither parent, or shared time with both.
PARENTS %
2 PARENTS 73.1
MOTHER 13.1
MA&STEP 5.1
FATHER 2.8
PA&STEP 1.6
NEITHER 3.0
SHARED 1.4
TOTAL 100.0
[2PARENTS & PARENTS]

39) FAMILY INCOME
If you had to make a rough guess, what will your family's income be this year?
FAMILY INCOME %
Below$50K 21.7
About$50K 33.8
Above$50K 33.5
Not Sure 11.0
TOTAL 100.0
[FAM$$]

40) FATHER'S EDUCATION
How much education did your father complete? Did not complete high school, High School, Some College, College graduate, Post graduate education.
FATHER'S EDUCATION %
NOT HS 13.7
HS 31.7
SOME COL 17.6
COL 24.1
GRAD ED 11.1
NOT SURE 2.5
TOTAL 100.0
[PAED]

41) MOTHER'S EDUCATION
How much education did your mother complete?
MOTHER'S EDUCATION %
NOT HS 11.8
HS 31.3
SOME COL 18.1
COL 28.4
GRAD ED 8.9
NOT SURE 1.5
TOTAL 100.0
[MAED]

42) LONG GUNS
Do you or anyone else in your household own a rifle or shotgun?
LONG GUNS %
Yes 44.5
No 55.5
TOTAL 100.0
[LONGUN]

43) HANDGUN
Do you or anyone else in your household own a handgun?
HANDGUN %
Yes 24.8
No 75.2
TOTAL 100.0
[HANDGUN]

44) NRA
Do you or anyone in your household belong to the NRA-- the National Rifle Association?
NRA %
Yes 12.6
No 83.6
Not Sure 3.8
TOTAL 100.0
[NRA]

45) POLITICALPARTY
Do you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican or neither?
POLITICALPARTY %
Democrat 23.9
Republican 19.0
Neither 49.5
Not Sure 7.7
TOTAL 100.0
[PARTY]

46) RELIGION
Do you consider yourself Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, some other religion or no religion at all?
RELIGION %
Protestant 17.6
Catholic 29.6
Jewish 1.8
Some other 32.7
None 17.2
Not Sure 1.2
TOTAL 100.0
[RELIGION]

47) BORN AGAIN
Would you describe yourself as an evangelical or born again Christian? [Not asked of respondents who replied Jewish or none on previous question]
BORN AGAIN %
Yes 50.7
No 38.6
Not Sure 10.9
TOTAL 100.0
[BORNAGN]

48) VIDEO GAMES
In the past week, have you played any first person action games, such as Half-Life, Bond or Quake, where the objective is to kill your opponent?
VIDEO GAMES %
Yes 25.1
No 74.9
TOTAL 100.0
[GAMES]

49) GRADES
What have your grades been during the current school year? Stop me when I get to the right level
GRADES %
Mostly A's 26.7
A's & B's 33.0
Mostly B's 12.3
B's & C's 17.2
Mostly C's 4.3
C's & D's 5.2
D's & F's 1.1
TOTAL 100.0
[GRADES]

50) STUDY PLANS
How much schooling do you expect to complete? May not finish HS,HS, Some College, College graduate, Post graduate education
STUDY PLANS %
Not HS 1.3
HS 6.6
Some col 7.6
Col grad 62.1
Post grad 22.4
TOTAL 100.0
[SKOLPLAN]

51) REGION
REGION %
East 20.9
South 27.9
Midwest 30.2
West 20.9
TOTAL 100.0
[REGION]
______

*NOTES: Results are weighted for parents' education, for region, race/ethnicity, and year in school. "Not sure" responses (always volunteered) and refusals were excluded from tabulations unless they exceed 1 percent of sample.