Montana State University Billings Assistant Professor Dr. Hope Dewell Gentry presented this year’s Mountain States Poll results on campus Tuesday, October 28. In attendance were many of the 11 students who wrote the questions and collected survey responses.
The annual poll provides a snapshot of Montanans’ views on political issues and leadership. Over 800 responses were collected at random in the two weeks following the federal shutdown.
The poll shows a 56 percent disapproval of the performance of the U.S. Congress.
“However, I will also warn you that if you got through previous poll reports, they’re always performing pretty low,” said Dewell Gentry. “It’s not uncommon to see Montanans not being very happy with the way the U.S. congress is functioning.”
The survey provided the option for respondents to say they were neutral or don’t know how they feel, which is where many responses land for state leadership. When it came to Congressman Troy Downing, 23% of respondents said they were neutral and 31% of respondents said they didn’t know.
U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ job performance got 31% approval, 28% disapproval and 24% neutral. U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy got the same approval and disapproval ratings at 34%.
Other questions addressed issues like political violence and political polarization. The majority of respondents or 73% said they agree U.S. politics have become more polarized, but were split over whether they believe they themselves have become more politically polarized.
When it comes to violence, 83% of respondents say they agree political violence is increasing in the United States. That’s in line with the nationwide average, according to the Pew Research Center. A survey the organization conducted in September shows 85% of U.S. adults believe politically motivated violence is increasing.
