COLUMBUS, Ohio – A majority of Ohioans say they have confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court, but about one-third believe the Court’s decision that handed the presidency to George W. Bush was unfair, according to a new survey released by the Center for Survey Research at Ohio State University.

In addition, the survey results revealed a striking racial gap in views about the high Court: While whites were generally supportive of the Court, about two-thirds of African Americans expressed very little confidence in the Court and a similar proportion said the Court’s decision in the presidential race was unfair.

Overall, the results suggest that the controversy over the Court’s decision in the presidential race has not done major harm to the legitimacy of the Court.

“The results are generally reassuring, but among African Americans there seems to be a significant problem concerning confidence in the Supreme Court, said Gerald M. Kosicki, interim director of Ohio State’s Center for Survey Research and associate professor of journalism and communication.

As part of the January 2001 Buckeye State Poll, the Center for Survey Research asked 520 randomly selected Ohioans a series of questions regarding the U.S. Supreme Court. One aim was to see whether the Court’s controversial decision to stop the Florida recount of votes in the U.S. presidential race had a lasting impact on the Court as an institution. The decision effectively awarded the presidency to Bush.

In the Buckeye State Poll, 70 percent of those surveyed said they had at least some confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court. But about one-fourth of respondents – 26 percent – said they had very little confidence. The remainder said they didn’t know. Among African Americans, 61 percent said they had very little confidence in the Supreme Court.

Slightly more than half of the entire sample – 54 percent – said the decision that ended further recounts in the presidential election was fair, while 36 percent said it was unfair. In contrast, 65 percent of African Americans said the decision that ended the presidential race was unfair.

“White respondents tended to have a much better view of the decision in the presidential case and much more confidence in the Court itself,” said Matthew Courser, a research associate at the Center for Survey Research.

Although a majority of Ohioans thought the decision that ended the presidential race was fair, half the respondents also thought that the personal views of the justices influenced their votes on this case. Forty-one percent thought personal views did not influence the justices, while the remainder said they didn’t know.

“It’s surprising that so many Ohioans thought the personal views of the justices played a role in the decision,” Courser said. “The justices would say their decisions are based entirely on the law.”

When asked about their views of the political leanings of the court, 24 percent of respondents said the court was too liberal, 15 percent said too conservative and 47 percent said the Court was just about right.

Kosicki said the results suggest that the recent controversy regarding the Court has had an impact among Ohioans, but the negative effects will fade with time.

“A sizeable minority of Ohioans have concerns about the recent presidential decision, but the fact that a majority still has confidence in the Supreme Court suggests that the total damage to the court’s reputation will not be significant or long-lasting,” Kosicki said.

Contact: Gerald M. Kosicki, (614) 292-6672; Kosicki.1@osu.edu

Matthew Courser, (614) 292-6672; Courser.1@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; grabmeier.1@osu.edu

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