NASHVILLE — A new Vanderbilt University poll found that 42% of registered voters in Tennessee approve of the General Assembly.
Meanwhile, on another question, 76% of Tennesseans said they favored background checks for firearm purchases to reduce gun-related violence.
The survey had a 3.4 percentage point margin of error.
By comparison, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has a 53% approval rating.
State lawmakers enjoyed a 60% approval rating in a May 2020 survey conducted by the private university’s Center for Democratic Institutions. But that approval percentage dropped by 18 points during the most recent edition, which asked nearly three dozen questions to 1,005 registered voters between Nov. 14 and Dec. 2.
John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt poll, said in a news release the various survey results show the Tennessee legislature “often acts inconsistently with the public’s thinking.” And that includes Republicans, he added. Geer said legislatures can act in ways that are “out of step with the will of the people” when one party dominates the chamber with a supermajority.
“The failure of state legislatures to act in the interest of the public is not a Republican problem or Tennessee problem,” he added. “In fact, over half of the 50 states have supermajorities in their state legislatures.”
Firearms issues
The Vanderbilt poll found gun safety has fallen as the most important priority among Tennesseans — from 16% in April shortly after The Covenant School shooting in Nashville to 10% in December. In the March shooting, a former student armed with semi-automatic weapons killed three 9-year-olds and three adults, sparking mass protests at the state Capitol.
Democrats place a higher priority on the issue than Republicans, with 23% citing gun safety as the most important priority. Eight percent of independents and less than 1% of Republicans do so. Republicans’ leading concern is the economy.
There were six questions in the Vanderbilt poll about possible gun reforms, and the poll found across-the-board support for them. That included 76% of all respondents saying they were somewhat or very supportive of laws requiring gun owners to ensure firearms stored in vehicles are secured.
Eighty percent of the registered voters said they are somewhat or very supportive of a background check requirement for buying firearms at gun shows. More than three-quarters of all respondents said they were in favor of restrictions on gun possession by high-risk individuals.
But there was some disagreement on raising the age at which an assault rifle may be purchased from 18 to 21. While 64% of those surveyed favored the change overall, 38% of voters who self-identify with the Make America Great Again movement support such a change.
The survey also found that although the later special session on firearms and other issues came after the worst school shooting in Tennessee history, most of the public was unaware of the proceedings. Democrats were much more likely to say that they followed them than Republicans and independents. The special session, overall, did little to change public support for the state legislature.
(READ MORE: ‘Stay on the bill, sir’: What led to the ouster votes for the Tennessee Three)
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-285-9480.