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GREENVILLE, N.C.-- A new report using data from the Life, Liberty, and Happiness survey conducted by East Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research confirms that many Americans support legalized gambling on professional sports. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports gambling, and the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi and West Virginia responded by legalizing sports betting.
The survey results show differences of opinion based on gender, age and income, but not along political lines. Men, younger Americans and those with household incomes above $120,000 are more likely to agree that gambling should be legal. Republicans (50 percent) and Democrats (48 percent) fall within the range of statistical error.
“With nearly half of the U.S. states, as well as the U.S. Congress, now currently considering sports betting legislation, the issue of legalized sports gambling is likely to remain a major legislative issue at the state and federal levels for months, even years to come,” said Dr. Peter Francia, director of the Center for Survey Research. “The current state of public opinion on legalized sports gambling is thereby an important political matter.”
The ECU Life, Liberty and Happiness Project is a nationwide survey of more than 1,100 Americans conducted in May and June by the Center for Survey Research at ECU using mail, internet and phone surveys to reach adults across the country. Results are weighted to be representative of the U.S. population.
The project’s purpose is to highlight shared experiences among Americans as well as identify differences.
The survey report is available at https://surveyresearch.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/1566/2018/06/LLH_Sports-Gambling-Report.pdf.
The initial report on the Life, Liberty, and Happiness survey, released in July, showed that a majority of Americans are satisfied with their lives, that only 23 percent trust the media, and that 1 in 10 adults live in a home with unsecured and loaded firearms. That report is available at https://surveyresearch.ecu.edu/lifelibertyhappiness.
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East Carolina University, or ECU as it’s best known, offers more than 84 bachelor’s, 71 master’s and 18 doctoral degrees to nearly 29,000 students on its Greenville, North Carolina, campus and through an acclaimed online learning program. The university’s school of medicine is recognized nationally for producing primary care physicians, cardiovascular research, advanced robotic surgery as well as obesity and diabetes breakthroughs. ECU also boasts the largest business school enrollment and largest number of new nurses and education professionals produced by a four-year North Carolina university, in addition to the largest studio art program in the state.
Located near Atlantic coast harbors where pirates once roamed, ECU adopted the “Pirates” mascot in 1934 for its athletics program and competes in NCAA Division 1. The university has a globally recognized academic underwater archaeology program and enjoys a supportive relationship with the U.S. military services.
