Poll: Sports betting, abortion rights and Republicans lead in November election

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (First Alert 4) – A poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov provides insight into Missouri voter behavior ahead of the November election.

For the poll, YouGov surveyed 1,154 registered voters in Missouri to identify and survey potential voters in the state. The registered voters were then combined into a sample of 988, resulting in a target sample of 900 potential voters.

The investigation was conducted on site from 8 to 16 August.

Election prospects in November

If the US presidential election were held today, Donald Trump would win Missouri with 54% of the vote. Kamala Harris would have 41% of the vote, while other and uncertain candidates would have 5% of the vote.

The poll found that Republicans Josh Hawley, Mike Kehoe, David Wasinger, Andrew Bailey, Vivek Malek and Dennis Hoskins would win their races with over 50% of the vote.

The poll's director, Steven Rogers, an associate professor of political science at SLU, said it's an uphill battle for Democrats, given a double-digit lead.

“So if I had to make a prediction for November, I would predict that Republicans will once again win overwhelmingly at the state level,” Rogers said.

The poll found that 52 percent of respondents would support changing abortion laws. Rogers said that while there are anti-abortion tendencies in the state, people generally do not support a complete ban on abortion.

“This may be an area where the legislature has gotten a little out of step with the petition process,” Rogers said.

In a possible surprise, Senator Josh Hawley has overtaken Governor Mike Parson as the most popular politician in Missouri with an approval rating of 53%.

“His approval ratings have increased seven points in the last two years alone,” Rogers said. “He is the most popular political figure we've identified in the SLU/YouGov poll. Normally that's a title held by Governor Parson, and now Josh Hawley has narrowly overtaken him.”

When it comes to legalizing sports betting in Missouri, 50% of respondents support this move.

The poll found that 57% of respondents support raising the minimum wage to $13.75 an hour.

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Job approval ratings

The survey asked respondents whether they approved or disapproved of the way some elected officials do their jobs.

The highest approval ratings were recorded by Missouri State Representative and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Governor Mike Parson, Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Eric Schmitt.

President Joe Biden and the US Congress received the largest share of votes against her office.

Weapons guidelines

The survey asked respondents whether they supported or opposed the passage of various gun laws in Missouri.

The majority of respondents support requiring a criminal background check for all gun purchases, banning minors from carrying guns on public property without adult supervision, and allowing Missourians with a permit to carry a concealed weapon on public transportation and in places of worship.

Forty-nine percent of respondents oppose allowing Missouri counties, St. Louis City and Kansas City to enact their own local gun laws.

Other topics investigated

As for Major League Baseball teams, the poll found that 41% of people across the state prefer the St. Louis Cardinals. The Kansas City Royals received 20% of the vote, and 26% of respondents said they did not have a favorite team.

With the Kansas City Royals eyeing a new baseball stadium, the survey asked where funding for professional sports facilities should come from. Respondents believe the majority of funding should come from team owners, while less than 18% should come from the Missouri state government.

Respondents were asked to comment on the issue of school start times. 52% said they were in favor of school starting at 8:30 a.m. or later.

72% of respondents support banning high school students from using their cell phones during school hours. Even more, 79% of respondents, support banning high school students from using their cell phones during class.

When asked if the school week could be shortened from five to four days, 42% are against a shorter week, 30% support the change and 27% are unsure. The biggest concern respondents had about a possible four-day school week was childcare. The biggest benefit of a possible four-day school week was increased student participation.

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