Survey: Kansans OK with gays and immigrants

A statewide survey by Fort Hays State University suggests a strong shift in attitudes toward gay rights over the past 10 years, with nearly half of Kansans now embracing same-sex marriage and a majority opposed to letting businesses refuse service to gay people.

The far-ranging survey by the university’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs also showed that a strong majority opposes guns on college campuses, most respondents think block-grant funding has hurt Kansas schools, and almost twice as many Kansans would rather create a path to citizenship for “undocumented immigrants” than try to deport them all.

On taxes, most respondents say they think they pay too much and the wealthy don’t pay enough.

Real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump leads all contenders for Kansas’ votes in the presidential election, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rounding out the top four.

The results of the Kansas Speaks survey released Friday appear to show a broad disconnect between what Kansans say they want and what they actually get from the conservative Republicans they consistently elect to state office, said Gary Brinker, a Fort Hays State sociology professor and director of the Docking Institute.

“In almost every iteration of Kansas Speaks, well over half, usually close to two-thirds of the respondents want to raise taxes on corporations and the top earners,” he said. “That’s one of the things the governor and the Legislature gave them the exact opposite of most recently.”

“All I can say is it’s fascinating theory to try to explain this,” he said. “It’s depressing as a citizen but as a social researcher, you could hardly ask for more.”

Gays OK

One of the most striking survey findings is that 47 percent of Kansans surveyed favor same-sex marriage and 21 percent would favor civil unions that wouldn’t be called marriage but would grant marital rights to gay couples. About a third, 32 percent, expressed total opposition to same-sex marriage or similar legal arrangements.

The survey results indicate a substantial change from 2005, when 70 percent of Kansas voters passed a state constitutional amendment to ban both same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Despite that amendment, Kansas’ ban on same-sex marriage was struck down this year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such laws violate federally guaranteed constitutional rights.

On the ongoing question of whether Kansas should allow private businesses to refuse service to gay couples due to religious objections to their lifestyle, survey respondents mostly sided with gay couples.

A slight majority, 51 percent, said businesses should have to provide the same services to same-sex couples as they provide to heterosexual couples. Seventeen percent said they should be required to provide the same services unless it involves direct participation in a same-sex marriage ceremony.

As with the overall gay-marriage question, 32 percent support allowing businesses to deny all service to gay couples on the grounds that serving them would violate their religious beliefs.

Tax plan fails

Taxes offered a kind of mixed bag of responses.

That Kansans hate taxes came through loud and clear. Sixty-one percent want taxes and spending “somewhat lower” or “much lower.” Only a statistically insignificant 2 percent wanted “much higher” taxes and spending, while 17 percent said they would be OK with “somewhat higher.”

The survey also shows people aren’t happy with Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax plan, which reduced bracket rates overall and eliminated income taxes for owners of limited liability companies and corporations organized under Subchapter S of the federal tax code.

Sixty-one percent characterized Brownback’s reforms of the tax code as a “failure” or “tremendous failure.” Only 7 percent rated it a “success” and a nearly invisible .2 percent said it has been a “tremendous success.”

Nearly three out of four survey respondents said their overall tax burden was higher than two years ago, while five percent said it was lower. That despite repeated assurances from Brownback and his surrogates that every Kansan got a tax cut in his plan.

Fifty-four percent said they wanted the sales tax on food eliminated, and more than six out of 10 said they wanted to see taxes raised on top income earners and corporations.

Guns and funds

On the question of guns on campus, 58 percent said carrying weapons should be restricted to security personnel only. Another 26 percent said universities should be able to restrict concealed and open carry on their campuses.

Only 16 percent said concealed or open carry should be allowed on college campuses.

Current law, passed in 2015, will require state universities to open their campuses to the carrying of firearms beginning in 2017.

On school finance, 7 percent of respondents said they think schools have been improved by the block-grant funding system proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback and passed by the Legislature this year.

Nine times as many respondents, 64 percent, said block-grant funding has resulted in a lower quality of education. The remaining 29 percent saw no change.

The block-grant system, which essentially extended schools the same funding they got last year, was proposed by Brownback as a two-year stopgap to give the Legislature time to rewrite the state’s school-finance formula.

Four school districts, including Wichita USD 259, have sued the state over block grants, and a three-judge school-finance court ruled earlier this year that the system fails to meet the state’s constitutional duty to provide adequate and equitable funding to schools.

That case is on appeal to the state Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear oral arguments two weeks from now.

On immigration, survey respondents were asked their opinions on what to do about “policies regarding undocumented immigrants.” They favored a path to citizenship over blanket deportation by almost two to one.

Fifty-three percent favored a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants with no criminal record. Twenty-seven percent agreed with deporting all undocumented immigrants.

Seven percent want to deport “most” undocumented immigrants, while 13 percent want to deport “some” of them.

The Trump card

In the presidential race, 18 percent said they support Trump; Clinton and Carson tied with 11 percent support and Sanders got 8 percent. No other candidate drew more than 3 percent support and 40 percent were undecided.

On Trump’s signature issue of deporting illegal immigrants, survey respondents favored a path to citizenship over blanket deportation by almost two to one.

When asked their opinions on what to do about “policies regarding undocumented immigrants,” 53 percent favored a path to citizenship for those with no criminal record. Twenty-seven percent agreed with deporting all undocumented immigrants.

Seven percent want to deport “most” undocumented immigrants, while 13 percent want to deport “some” of them.

In a possible preview of next year’s Kansas nominating caucuses, 28 percent of those who identified themselves as “strong Republican” favored Trump, compared with 15 percent for Carson.

Carson turned the tables among the “not very strong” Republicans, taking that group by a margin of 21 to 11 percent.

As a general rule, voters who are more committed to their party tend to be the ones who participate the most in party caucuses.

Clinton ruled among the strong Democrats with 42 percent support, compared with Sanders’ 13 percent. She also polled well among the not-very-strong Democrats, outpointing Sanders 37 percent to 15 percent.

That, despite Sanders supporters actively campaigning in Kansas while Clinton supporters have been much less visible.

Sanders did beat Clinton 28 to 18 percent among independents who lean Democratic, but only registered Democrats are allowed to participate in the party caucus.

The Kansas Speaks survey interviewed 638 randomly selected Kansans 18 and older by landline and cellphone and has a 3.9 percent margin of error.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Survey: Kansans OK with gays and immigrants."