Colorado's Recall Election on Gun Control

A recent Pew Research Center report in FacTank, on the recall election in Colorado on Tuesday, September 10, analyst, Drew DeSilver said that the successful election against two Democratic state senators, one of whom was the president of the state senate, shows the divide in the electorate on the gun control issue. The data upon which the findings are based are taken from monthly opinions polls fielded by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The most recent survey was taken from May 1 to May 5, 2013 of a national sample of 1,504 adult Americans by landline and cell phone interviews. 

The chart shows the change in response to the question "Which do you this is more important: to control gun ownership or to protect the rights of Americans to own guns?" After the school shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, in December, 2012, public opinion for protecting gun rights dropped slightly from 46% to 42% but has since grown to 48% with public opinion in support of gun control remaining roughly at 50%.  

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press offers these data in an interactive chart tool which allows the user view them in a line chart with a demographic variable that they select.   The tool can be reached through TeachingWithData.org  at http://themostsearched.org/resource/3888 .

Read more:
http://www.pewresearch.org/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/
http://www.pewresearch.org/author/ddesilver/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/11/colorado-recall-points-to-greater-intensity-among-gun-rights-supporters/
http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/5-23-13%20Gun%20Policy%20Release.pdf
http://www.people-press.org/
http://themostsearched.org/
http://themostsearched.org/resource/3888

Lowest Obesity Levels in Rocky Mountain State for Third Year in a Row

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Colorado is the only state in the nation that has obesity levels below 20%, making it the least obese state since 2010. On the other hand, West Virginia boasts the highest obesity rate, with 33.5% of residents surveyed reporting that they are obese. This is more than 7% higher than the national average of 26.2%. With the exception of four states, there was little change in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012. Delaware was the only state that experienced a slight decrease in obesity levels while obesity rates increased in Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

As expected, Colorado also had the lowest rates of high blood pressure with only 22% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 23.8% of Minnesotans, and 24.6% of Wyoming residents. West Virginia had the highest level of high blood pressure in the country, with 39.7% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 38.4% if Mississippi residents, and 36.4% of residents in Alabama.

Additionally, many of the states with the lowest obesity levels and lowest rates of high blood pressure also had the lowest diabetes rates. Only 6% of Alaskans reported that they were suffering from diabetes, followed by 7.4% Colorado residents, and 8.1% of Montana residents.  In Mississippi, 15.4% of residents surveyed reported that they had diabetes, marking the highest diabetes rate for any state. West Virginia came in a close second, with 15.2% of residents suffering from diabetes, followed by 13.6% of residents in Alabama.

Presidential Race Polling Very Close

With the election looming just two weeks away, and the final debate between President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney in the books, the focus turns to polls.  The race has tightened in recent weeks, especially in the key battleground states of Ohio, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. The President carried all these states in his win over Senator John McCain in the 2008 election, though polls indicate the 2012 election will be much closer, particularly in the previously mentioned battleground states.  While the President maintained an early advantage in Ohio, Iowa, and Colorado, recent polls in these states place the two candidates in a near deadlocked battle.  Mitt Romney has retained a slight lead in Florida, arguably the most important battleground state, over the past month.

The Economist has compiled an election season map, with polling details for each state.  Based on the most recent polling results President Obama possesses 253 likely Electoral College votes (17 shy of the 270 necessary for victory) to Mitt Romney's 191. However, there are still 94 votes from battleground states that are up in the air.  Should Mitt Romney hold onto his lead in Florida, he would receive 29 votes - the third most for any state.  This would leave him 50 votes shy of victory with 65 votes still on the table.  While Florida represents the most votes for any battleground state, Ohio may yet be the most important.  If the President takes Ohio along with the other 253 likely Obama votes, he surpasses the 270 vote mark with a single vote to spare.  A recent Quinnipiac Poll gives the President a five-point lead in Ohio, and he's led the state in most polls throughout the past two months.