Reporters for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave a live video overview of Georgia’s political landscape Tuesday in a virtual discussion based on results of the AJC Spring Poll.
Political reporter Greg Bluestein hosted the discussion on Facebook Live, joined by Washington reporter Tia Mitchell and Mark Niesse, who writes about elections, voting rights and the Georgia Legislature.
The poll, conducted April 20-May 3 by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs, included questions about Georgia’s new voting law, the coronavirus pandemic and President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. It questioned 844 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
The reporters recapped the top poll results and answered questions from readers on topics ranging from approval ratings for Biden and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to Georgia’s new election law and public attitudes in Georgia about the COVID-19 vaccine.
AJC’s poll provided a measure of voter attitudes in Georgia, falling six months after Biden won the presidential election in Georgia and about 18 months before the next election for governor. Biden was the first Democrat to win a presidential election in Georgia since 1992, Bluestein noted.
“We like to think of them as snapshots of how the community feels,” Bluestein said about AJC polls. “It’s not necessarily a reflection of the election or a prediction of a possible outcome. Really it gives us a glimpse of [how] the electorate is feeling, where voters are leaning, what the mood is right now.”
Watch the AJC panel
Here are some highlights from the poll and links to related coverage in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
AJC poll: 1 in 4 Georgians say they won’t get the coronavirus vaccine
The poll found resistance from some Georgians to get the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the challenge for public health officials in meeting their goal of inoculating as many Georgians as possible. About 51% of those polled have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but about two-thirds of Republicans who aren’t vaccinated don’t plan to get a shot. Read the full story.
Georgians oppose All-Star game’s removal over voting law
Georgia voters disagree about elements of Georgia’s new voting law, but a majority objected to Major League Baseball moving its All-Star game from Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s election changes. A larger percentage of Georgia voters said they oppose companies using their public role to shape political opinion or promote cultural change. Read the full story.
Georgians narrowly back Biden, and state remains polarized on many issues
Georgians like the way President Joe Biden is responding to the coronavirus pandemic, the poll found, but they are more divided on his economic proposals and the way he’s addressing immigration. Some key notes from the poll:
- Only 38% of Georgians think the country is on the right track; 52% say it’s on the wrong track.
- Job approval for Kemp was 45%
- Job approval for Biden was 51%
Information from previous AJC articles by Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell and Mark Niesse were used in writing this article.
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