In 2020, Saint Louis University launched the SLU/YouGov poll to provide researchers
and policymakers a scientific assessment of Missouri public opinion. A SLU/YouGov
Poll will occur every year following the end of the state legislative session with
an additional poll occurring in October in election years.
July 2021 SLU/YouGov Poll Results Released
The July 2021 SLU/YouGov Poll interviewed 950 likely Missouri voters about issues important to Missourians. The survey found that voters’ approval of Gov. Mike Parson and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley increased. Sixty-two percent of voters support the state funding Medicaid expansion, and a majority of Missouri voters do not believe schools should teach “Critical Race Theory.” A third of voters report they will not get a COVID-19 vaccine or are not sure if they will get a vaccine.
Poll Results
Analyses from SLU Poll Directors
- July 2021 SLU/YouGov Poll Release by Dr. Steven Rogers
- Approval of Missouri's Top Officials by Dr. Kenneth Warren
- Missouri's Republicans and Democrats View Issues Very Differently by Dr. Kenneth Warren
- Missourians Disagree about "Critical Race Theory" by Dr. Evan Rhinesmith and Dr. J. Cameron Anglum
- Missourians Support New Private School Choice Program by Dr. Evan Rhinesmith and Dr. J. Cameron Anglum
The SLU/YouGov Poll brings national attention to Missouri politics, receiving coverage from The Washington Post, Politico, and MSNBC, amongst other outlets. To get the latest updates, follow the SLU Poll team on Twitter.
Approval Ratings of National and State Political Actors
COVID-19
Recent Missouri Political Issues
In 2020 Missouri voters voted to approve expanding Medicaid to thousands more low-income Missouri adults, but the State of Missouri has refused to fund the program. How strongly do you feel about Missouri funding Medicaid expansion?
Recently, Governor Mike Parson signed into law a bill that invalidates federal gun control laws. The new law also prohibits Missouri’s state and local officials from enforcing federal gun control laws, imposing $50,000 fines for state and local officials who knowingly enforce federal gun control laws instead of this new state law. How do you feel about this Missouri state law?
Statewide Opinion in the last year
More About the SLU/YouGov Poll
The SLU/YouGov Poll fills a void in the study of public opinion in Missouri. No other academic institution regularly conducts a non-partisan, scientific survey of Missouri voters and publicly makes its results available to citizens, researchers, and policymakers. The SLU/YouGov Poll then aligns with the Jesuit mission to pursue the truth for the common good. The SLU/YouGov Poll also contributes to the mission to the “faith that does justice” by informing SLU’s surrounding communities to improve solidarity within those communities. The inaugural SLU You/Gov poll, for example, asked Missourians about their opinions about government spending on the poor, race relations in their communities, views on education, and law enforcement.
Poll director Steven Rogers, Ph.D. associate professor of political science, leads a team of experts in survey research and policymaking. Associate directors of the SLU/YouGov Poll include Kenneth Warren, Ph.D., professor of political science with more than 30 years of professional polling experience, and Evan Rhinesmith, Ph.D., director of research and evaluation at the SLU PRiME Center and an education policy expert. Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, is the executive sponsor of the SLU/YouGov Poll.
SLU has partnered with YouGov to conduct its annual survey of Missourians. YouGov conducts surveys for multiple academic institutions and is the primary, trusted survey firm for media organizations including CBS News and The Economist. An independent Pew Research Center study of online survey firms in 2016 further concluded YouGov “consistently outperforms competitors.”
The origins of the SLU/YouGov Poll lie in an internal Big Ideas competition to define university-wide strategic research priorities sponsored by the SLU Research Institute. The Big Ideas competition provides funding to research initiatives that demonstrate broad faculty engagement, strong leadership and compelling research plans.
For questions or suggestions for the SLU/YouGov Poll, contact SLU Poll Director Dr. Steven Rogers.