Iowa faces deep partisan divide, new poll shows

DES MOINES - A new public opinion poll of Iowans confirmed what many already knew: Republicans and Democrats have diversely different views on policy problems and how to solve them.

Survey results released Monday from an independent Quinnipiac University poll indicated varying views on income inequality, immigration and fighting extremist groups like ISIS among Iowans indicating they likely will attend a Republican or Democratic caucus next February - events that will kick off the 2016 presidential selection process for both political parties.

Republicans, by a margin of 72 percent to 23 percent, support sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria, while Democrats oppose sending American soldiers by a 63 percent to 29 percent margin, according to the poll findings of 666 Republicans and 761 Democrats who say they are likely to participate in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses. The survey taken June 20-29 had margins of error of 3.8 percent among Republicans and 3.6 percent in the Democratic sampling.

On the economic front, 70 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers say the federal government should not pursue policies to reduce the income gap between wealthy and less wealthy Americans, while 25 percent favored such a move. Conversely, an overwhelming 91 percent of Iowa Democrats believe the federal government should try to reduce income inequality, while 6 percent would oppose the effort.

On the issue of immigration policy, 46 percent of Iowa Republicans say illegal immigrants should be required to leave, with 34 percent saying illegal immigrants should stay and be offered a path to citizenship, and 17 percent say that they should stay but with no path to citizenship.

Among Democrats, 83 percent say illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship, while 9 percent say they should stay but with no path to citizenship, and 8 percent say they should be required to leave, according to the Quinnipiac University poll findings.

'Iowa, with the caucuses that kick off the 2016 election, is a perfect example of just how differently Democrats and Republicans see completely different worlds,” said Peter A. Brown, the poll's assistant director who called the partisan differences on the surveyed issues 'striking.”

'Ideas that are part of Democratic orthodoxy are an anathema to Republicans, and vice versa,” Brown noted in a statement accompanying the poll results.

'Democrats think illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the United States and eventually become citizens. Republicans don't,” he said. 'Democrats want government to pursue policies that are aimed at reducing the income gap between the wealthy and those lower on the income scale, Republicans say no.”

For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.