Voting Behavior – non-climate statements used in studies 6 & 7

Research by the Political Psychology Research Group at Stanford University

Introduction Fundamentals Who Should Take Action Government Policy Economic Side Effects Willingness to Pay Priority Consequences of Global Warming Preparing for Possible Consequences Consumer Choices Attitude Strength Voter Behavior Opinions in the States Trust in Scientists Scientists' Beliefs Partisan Views Publications

Six non-climate statements by hypothetical candidates in Study 6:

For each respondent, two statements were randomly selected from the following set of six such statements:

“Our nation remains a target for terrorists. Terrorists are unrelenting in their desire to kill Americans. We cannot let down our guard, and we must continue to meet this ongoing threat with strength and resilience. During the past eight years, significant resources have been devoted to the prevention of a terrorist attack using a biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon. But the improvised explosive device remains the weapon of choice for terrorists. And terrorists can also choose to use firearms. For many Americans, including many families in our state, the right to own guns is part of their heritage and way of life. This right is protected by the Second Amendment. And so our government confronts a difficult issue today: how do we protect the constitutional right of Americans to bear arms, while preventing terrorists from using guns to carry out their murderous plans? None of us wants a terrorist to be able to purchase a gun. But neither should we want to infringe upon a constitutional right of law-abiding Americans.”
“It makes no sense that the capital and risk standards for our nation’s largest financial institutions are more lenient than those that apply to smaller depository banks, when the failure of larger institutions is much more likely to have a broad economic impact. Yet that is currently the case. We must give the regulators the tools and the direction to address this problem. I have proposed an amendment that will strengthen the economic foundation of these firms, increase oversight and accountability, and help prevent the excesses that contributed to the deep recession that has cost millions of Americans their jobs. Increasing capital requirements as firms grow provides a disincentive to their becoming “too big to fail” and ensures an adequate capital cushion in difficult economic times.”
“When we are dealing with foreign-born suspects with known ties to terrorist organizations, and these people are carrying out plans to indiscriminately kill Americans, we need to NOT treat them like they’re common criminals. Treating these people like common criminals is dangerous, and it limits the intelligence information that we can gather from suspects. The suspected Christmas Day bomber could have provided valuable information about potential terror plots. Instead, he was charged in the civilian court system where he got a lawyer and stopped talking. When someone is given Miranda rights and access to a lawyer, gathering valuable information about possible terrorist plots is greatly diminished.”
“I believe that all Americans deserve quality, affordable nizagara health care, and that we must address the issues of rising health care costs and accessibility. Unfortunately, the recently enacted Federal health care legislation does not accomplish these goals and instead raises taxes on individuals and businesses, increases government spending, and will result in higher costs for consumers. I believe we must focus on fixing and replacing this law with common-sense health care reforms that drive down costs, make it easier for people to purchase affordable insurance, and strengthen the existing private market system.”
“I believe that terrorism is not a political issue; it is a national security issue. To win the war against terrorism, we must be able to quickly adapt to ever-changing terrorist tactics. Congress and the Administration must work together in a bipartisan fashion to continue support for all elements of national security, to increase information sharing and collective security efforts around the globe, and to expand vital law enforcement partnerships. Our Constitution and laws exist to protect this nation — they do not grant rights and privileges to enemies in wartime. In dealing with terrorists, our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them, not lawyers to defend them.”
“I am an unwavering proponent of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and the right it confers on the people to keep and bear arms. As such, any attempts to deny this right violate both the letter and spirit of our Constitution. Enforcement, not new gun control laws, is the answer. To address concerns of gun crimes and criminal possession of firearms, the answer is not to create laws that deny law abiding citizens the ability to defend themselves. Criminals will not be deterred by any such laws. Rather, the answer is proper and robust enforcement of appropriate gun laws now on the books. Furthermore, the proper way to combat crimes in our communities is to ensure that those who commit them are properly arrested, convicted and incarcerated for their crimes.”

Two non-climate statements by hypothetical candidates in studies Study 7:

Each respondent in Florida heard the following two statements on not-climate issues:

“When we are dealing with foreign-born suspects with known ties to terrorist organizations, and these people are carrying out plans to indiscriminately kill Americans, we need to NOT treat them like they’re common criminals. Treating these people like common criminals is dangerous, and it limits the intelligence information that we can gather from suspects. The suspected Christmas Day bomber could have provided valuable information about potential terror plots. Instead, he was charged in the civilian court system where he got a lawyer and stopped talking. When someone is given Miranda rights and access to a lawyer, gathering valuable information about possible terrorist plots is greatly diminished.”
“Lifting the Cuba travel ban represents a blatant disregard of the human rights violations that the Castro regime commits against the Cuban people. This attempt to appease the Cuban dictatorship is wholly inconsistent with the United States’ role as a beacon of freedom in this hemisphere, and around the world. This effort puts narrow corporate interests ahead of the need to protect the Cuban people from the Castro regime’s brutal oppression. Canadian and European tourists have long made their way to Cuba, despite the fact that the Cuban regime has grown more repressive and living conditions for a majority of Cubans have declined to unprecedented low levels. The money they spend there is handed over to the Castro regime’s desperate totalitarian machine. Americans cannot allow themselves to be caught in the same trap of funding brutality.”

Each respondent in Maine heard the following two statements on not-climate issues:

“Our nation remains a target for terrorists. Terrorists are unrelenting in their desire to kill Americans. We cannot let down our guard, and we must continue to meet this ongoing threat with strength and resilience. During the past eight years, significant resources have been devoted to the prevention of a terrorist attack using a biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon. But the improvised explosive device remains the weapon of choice for terrorists. And terrorists can also choose to use firearms. For many Americans, including many Maine families, the right to own guns is part of their heritage and way of life. This right is protected by the Second Amendment. And so our government confronts a difficult issue today: how do we protect the constitutional right of Americans to bear arms, while preventing terrorists from using guns to carry out their murderous plans? None of us wants a terrorist to be able to purchase a gun. But neither should we want to infringe upon a constitutional right of law-abiding Americans.”
“It makes no sense that the capital and risk standards for our nation’s largest financial institutions are more lenient than those that apply to smaller depository banks, when the failure of larger institutions is much more likely to have a broad economic impact. Yet that is currently the case. We must give the regulators the tools and the direction to address this problem. I have proposed an amendment that will strengthen the economic foundation of these firms, increase oversight and accountability, and help prevent the excesses that contributed to the deep recession that has cost millions of Americans their jobs. Increasing capital requirements as firms grow provides a disincentive to their becoming “too big to fail” and ensures an adequate capital cushion in difficult economic times.”

Each respondent in Massachusetts heard the following two statements on not-climate issues:

“I believe that all Americans deserve quality, affordable health care, and that we must address the issues of rising health care costs and accessibility. Unfortunately, the recently enacted Federal health care legislation does not accomplish these goals and instead raises taxes on individuals and businesses, increases government spending, and will result in higher costs for consumers. I believe we must focus on fixing and replacing this law with common-sense health care reforms that drive down costs, make it easier for people to purchase affordable insurance, and strengthen the existing private market system.”
“I believe that terrorism is not a political issue; it is a national security issue. To win the war against terrorism, we must be able to quickly adapt to ever-changing terrorist tactics. Congress and the Administration must work together in a bipartisan fashion to continue support for all elements of national security, to increase information sharing and collective security efforts around the globe, and to expand vital law enforcement partnerships. Our Constitution and laws exist to protect this nation — they do not grant rights and privileges to enemies in wartime. In dealing with terrorists, our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them, not lawyers to defend them.”