Contact: Brian Silver, SOSS, (517) 420-5575; or Amy Baumer, IPPSR, (517) 388-3887
Residents also said they prefer Kerry when it comes to environmental issues and foreign policy, but think Bush is a stronger leader in time of crisis.
The presidential race remains close, according to results from the MSU State of the State Survey released today. Likely voters in the presidential battleground state slightly favor Kerry (42 percent) over Bush (40 percent) with 12 percent of voters still undecided.
The quarterly survey of public opinion examined both the public images of these candidates and the expected vote choices on Nov. 2.
�These findings are an extremely reliable picture of current sentiment in Michigan and should be useful as the various camps prepare for their nominating conventions in July and August,� said Brian Silver, director of the SOSS, which is in the field for two months and operates under strict methodology to ensure a representative sample.
Results by region of the state indicate that Bush is supported by a majority of likely voters in west and east-central Michigan while Kerry commands a majority in Detroit, the Upper Peninsula, and the southwest part of the state.
Among the findings:
- Voter preferences differ substantially by race. While 44 percent of whites declare their intention to vote for Bush and 38 percent say they�ll vote for Kerry, 69 percent of African Americans favor Kerry and 12 percent favor Bush.
- Women prefer Kerry to Bush (45 percent to 38 percent with 15 percent undecided) and men are more likely to elect Bush (42 percent to 39 percent).
- Younger voters prefer Kerry by a three-to-one ratio.
And while Republicans and Democrats are strongly committed to the candidate of their own party, independents spread their support broadly. Some 31 percent prefer Bush, 22 percent support Kerry, and 20 percent support third-party candidates such as Ralph Nader (26 percent are undecided).
This statewide survey was conducted by MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) between April 19 and June 15, 2004. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percent. For additional survey results, visit www.ippsr.msu.edu
IPPSR is the nonpartisan public policy network at MSU. Housed within the College of Social Science, IPPSR is dedicated to connecting legislators, scholars and practitioners through survey, evaluation and applied research, policy forums and political leadership instruction.