The Poll Archive RSS

(07/22/09) -

Majority of Americans Believe South Carolina Governor Sanford Should Quit

For Immediate Release United States Public Opinion Poll Page 1 of 6 MARK SANFORD Majority of Americans Believe South Carolina Governor Sanford Should Quit More than half of respondents believe a politician who commits adultery lacks the integrity to hold public office. [CHICAGO - Jul. 21, 2009] – Most people in the United [...]

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 1 of 6
MARK SANFORD
Majority of Americans Believe South
Carolina Governor Sanford Should Quit
More than half of respondents believe a politician who commits adultery
lacks the integrity to hold public office.
[CHICAGO - Jul. 21, 2009] – Most people in the
United States believe the current Governor of
South Carolina should step down following an
extra-marital affair, a new Angus Reid Strategies
poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national
sample of 1,000 American adults, 55 per cent of
respondents think Mark Sanford-who
acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair,
and reimbursed the state for the cost of a
government-funded trip during which he saw a
woman who is not his wife-should resign his
position as governor. One-in-four (24%) believe
Sanford should not quit.
Supporters of the Democratic Party (56%), the
Republican Party (60%) and Independents
(61%) all agreed in their assessment that
Sanford should step down.
KEY FINDINGS
55% believe Mark Sanford should resign
as governor over extra-marital affair
54% think a politician who commits
adultery lacks the integrity to hold public
office
Full topline results are at the end of this release.
From July 16 to July 18, 2009, Angus Reid Strategies conducted
an online survey among 1,000 American adults who are
Springboard America panelists. The margin of error-which
measures sampling variability-is +/- 3.1%. The results have
been statistically weighted according to the most current
education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a
sample representative of the entire adult population of the United
States.
Respondents were also asked about infidelity and public service. A majority of Americans (54%) believe a
politician who commits adultery lacks the integrity to hold public office, while 27 per cent believe adultery
should not be a consideration when judging the integrity of a politician.
People over the age of 55 (60%) are more likely to believe that an adulterous politician lacks the integrity
to hold public office than those aged 18 to 34 (46%).
On this question, some differences among party lines were evident. Two-thirds of Republicans (68%) and
about three-in-five Independents (59%) believe a politician who commits adultery lacks the integrity to
hold public office, but only 47 per cent of Democrats concur.
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com



?

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 2 of 6
Mark Sanford
As you may know, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford acknowledged that he had an
extramarital affair, and reimbursed the state for the cost of a government-funded trip during
which he saw a woman who is not his wife. Thinking about this, do you think Stanford should
resign his position as governor?
Total
Yes
No
Not sure
55%
24%
20%
Northeast
51%
24%
25%
Midwest
57%
27%
16%
Region
South
58%
23%
19%
West
54%
25%
21%
Mark Sanford
As you may know, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford acknowledged that he had an
extramarital affair, and reimbursed the state for the cost of a government-funded trip during
which he saw a woman who is not his wife. Thinking about this, do you think Stanford should
resign his position as governor?
Male
Yes
No
Not sure
55%
29%
16%
Gender
Female
56%
20%
24%
18-34
50%
22%
28%
Age
35-54
58%
25%
17%
55+
58%
25%
17%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com



?

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 3 of 6
Mark Sanford
As you may know, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford acknowledged that he had an
extramarital affair, and reimbursed the state for the cost of a government-funded trip during
which he saw a woman who is not his wife. Thinking about this, do you think Stanford should
resign his position as governor?
Democratic
Yes
No
Not sure
56%
24%
19%
Party ID
Republican
60%
27%
13%
Independent
61%
21%
19%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com



?

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 4 of 6
Mark Sanford
Which of the following statements is closest to your own point of view?
Total
A politician who commits adultery lacks the integrity to
hold public office
54%
Region
Northeast Midwest
50%
57%
South
55%
West
53%
Adultery should not be a consideration when judging
the integrity of a politician
27%
27%
27%
24%
29%
Not sure
19%
23%
16%
21%
18%
Mark Sanford
Which of the following statements is closest to your own point of view?
Gender
Male
A politician who commits adultery lacks the integrity to hold
public office
Age
18-
Female
34
53%
46%
35-
54
56%
55+
55%
60%
Adultery should not be a consideration when judging the
integrity of a politician
28%
25%
30%
26%
24%
Not sure
17%
22%
25%
18%
16%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com



?

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 5 of 6
Mark Sanford
Which of the following statements is closest to your own point of view?
Democratic
Party ID
Republican
Independent
A politician who commits adultery lacks
the integrity to hold public office
47%
68%
59%
Adultery should not be a consideration
when judging the integrity of a politician
33%
19%
27%
Not sure
19%
13%
15%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com



?

For Immediate Release
United States Public Opinion Poll
Page 6 of 6
Angus Reid Strategies is a full-service polling and market research firm which is a leader in the use of
the Internet and rich media technology to collect high-quality, in-depth insights for a wide array of clients.
Dr. Angus Reid and the Angus Reid Strategies team are pioneers in online research methodologies,
and have been conducting online surveys since 1995.
Angus Reid Strategies, along with its sister company, Vision Critical, is now the largest Canadian-
owned market research enterprise. In addition to its five offices in Canada-located in Vancouver,
Calgary, Regina, Toronto, and Montreal-the firm also has offices in San Francisco, Chicago, New
York, London, Paris and Sydney. Its team of specialists provides solutions across every type and
sector of research, and currently serves over 200 international clients.
Angus Reid Strategies polls are conducted using the Angus Reid Forum (www.angusreidforum.com),
Springboard America (www.springboardamerica.com) and Springboard UK
(www.springboarduk.com) online panels, which are recruited via an industry-leading process that
incorporates a randomized, widespread invitation approach and a triple opt-in screening procedure.
The panels are maintained through state-of-the-art sampling techniques and frequent verifications of
personal identity, contact information, and demographic characteristics. These premier online survey
platforms present respondents with highly visual, interactive, and engaging surveys, ensuring that
panel members provide thoughtful and reliable responses.
Angus Reid Strategies, the only public opinion firm to exclusively use online methods to follow the
views of the electorate during the 2008 federal campaign, offered the most accurate prediction of the
results of Canada’s 40th election.
http://angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2008.10.15_Election.pdf
Since 2006, Angus Reid Strategies has covered eight provincial elections in Canada-more than any
other pollster in the country-and the results have accurately predicted the outcome of each of these
democratic processes.
http://angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2008.03.28_Anniversary_1.pdf
http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2008.12.09_QuebecElection.pdf
http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2009.05.13_BCElection.pdf
http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2009.06.10_NSElection.pdf
More information on the way Angus Reid Strategies conducts public opinion research can be found
at
http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/ARS.ARF.WP.pdf
- 30 -
For more information, please contact
our spokesperson listed in the footnote.
Copies of this poll are available on our website:
www.angusreidstrategies.com
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, 604-647-3570,
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com