The Democracy and Public Policy Network in the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University has released the results of its latest web-based poll, conducted from Sept. 29 – Oct. 9, with insight from 1,000 likely Ohio voters.
Topics covered in the poll include:
- Ohio governor and U.S. Senate races
- The president’s approval rating
- What leadership attributes voters value most
- Political advertising burnout
- Ohioans see a very toxic political environment
- Favorability ratings of public officials, issues and groups
The nonpartisan poll has an overall margin of error of +/- 3.95 percentage points.
Democrats expand narrow leads in Ohio governor and Senate races, but contests remain competitive
“Consistent with much of the public polling, we continue to find Democrats ahead in the state. While this will be welcome news to Democrats, a blue wave in Ohio is far from a sure thing. Republicans have closed well in recent statewide elections, and I would be surprised if these races did not end up within the margin of error in either direction.” – Robert Alexander, professor of political science, BGSU
President’s approval remains underwater and many regret voting for him in 2024
“Although Donald Trump remains popular with the Republican base, there are warning signs for Republicans in the Buckeye state. A significant number who voted for him in 2024 may be having buyer’s remorse and that is particularly true among the key voting bloc of independents in the state. Time will tell whether his appearances in the homestretch served to help or hurt the GOP in the state.” – Robert Alexander, professor of political science, BGSU
In toxic political environment, voters continue to value honesty, competence and empathy; Acton and Brown have an edge when it comes to candidate attributes
“While partisanship and the economy can matter a great deal in any campaign, candidate qualities matter too. In this moment of toxic politics and economic anxiety, voters care about one’s honesty, competence and connection to people like themselves. We are consistently finding that many respondents feel like politicians don’t listen to common people and one’s ability to connect to voters may ultimately determine who wins and loses in November.” – Alexander
Ohioans have been barraged by political advertising and are over it
“Ohio voters remain deeply engaged in this election, but they are also telling us that the nonstop barrage of political advertising has become overwhelming. Campaigns face the challenge of breaking through voter fatigue while still persuading a relatively small group of voters to ultimately come to the polls and cast their ballot for their candidates.” – Alexander
Ohioans agree it is a toxic political environment fueled by strong negative views between Democrats and Republicans
“Our data present a pretty bleak picture of what is happening in Ohio politics. Democrats and Republicans see each other as polar opposites of one another and what they see isn’t pretty. It is difficult to live in a civil society when you view your opponents as immoral, dishonest and untrustworthy, and that is exactly what we are seeing today.”
Few politicians and institutions held in high regard, with some notable exceptions
“All trust is not lost among Ohioans. Many public servants are viewed quite favorably. It turns out most Ohioans like librarians, teachers, professors and medical experts. The same is not true when it comes to most elected public officials. Only former President Obama rates favorably and that is exactly why he is being called in to campaign for Democrats in the homestretch.”
Full poll results include:
Top-line findings
Cross-tabulation findings
Expert analysis of poll results
For the poll, YouGov, an international online research data and analytics technology group, gathered public opinion data through a statewide web-based poll.
A four-person research team in the BGSU Department of Political Science developed, ordered, tested and analyzed the questions in the poll.
For more information, visit BGSU.edu/depo.
