Public Opinion Snapshot: Solid Backing for Embryonic Stem Cell Research

By Ruy Teixeira | March 30, 2007

President Bush may once again clearly and directly go against the public will next month when the Senate votes on legislation to lift federal limits on embryonic stem cell research. The president has already stated that he will once again veto the legislation, which has already passed though the House, if the Senate approves it.

The public made up its mind about embryonic stem cells quite a while ago, and now a solid and consistent majority says that it wants to move forward with research. Consider the results from the three 2007 polls that asked about this issue.

Each survey polled embryonic stem cell support in a different way, yet they all received pretty much the same response: close to 2:1 support for embryonic stem cell research. It’s interesting to note that even Republicans in the CBS News poll said they approve of embryonic stem cell research by 54-36. On the stem cell research issue, Bush isn’t even representing his own partisans, much less the rest of the public.

For more information on CAP's policies on this issue:

• Stem Cell Policy Brief
• Narrowing the Stem Cell Research Gap
• Next Steps for Stem Cells in Congress
  

To talk with Ruy Teixeira about public opinion on this issue, contact:

For TV, Sean Gibbons, Director of Media Strategy 202.682.1611 or sgibbons@americanprogress.org
For radio, Theo LeCompte, Media Strategy Manager 202.741.6268 or tlecompte@americanprogress.org
For print, Trevor Kincaid, Deputy Press Secretary 202.741.6273 or tkincaid@americanprogress.org
For web, Erin Lindsay, Online Marketing Manager 202.741.6397 or elindsay@americanprogress.org