Majority of Americans recognize significance of Ketanji Brown Jackson SCOTUS appointment

Washington, DC, April 15, 2022 - In the wake of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s 53-47 confirmation vote to be appointed to the Supreme Court, a new USA Today/Ipsos poll finds that a plurality of Americans – and two-thirds of those who report following the hearing – support Jackson’s confirmation. More, however, recognize the significance of now having four women on the bench at the same time, and two African American justices, for the first time – along with the significance of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority.

Detailed Findings

1. Overall, Americans support Jackson’s confirmation to the court by a more than 2:1 majority. Support is even stronger among those who report watching the hearings.

• Forty-nine percent of Americans support Jackson’s nomination, while 23% oppose. However, more than a quarter (29%) are undecided.
• Among those who report following the hearings (approximately 55% of respondents), 66% support Jackson’s nomination and 28% oppose.
• Support for Jackson’s confirmation is highest among Democrats (80%) and Black Americans (64%). Just a quarter of Republicans support her confirmation, making them the only demographic group to outwardly oppose.
• For those who oppose Jackson’s confirmation, the main reasons cited are her judicial philosophy (66%), her record on children/the vulnerable (64%) and that she is a liberal (61%).

2. A majority view the changes made to the SCOTUS bench in recent years as significant.

• Sixty-four percent say it is significant there are now four women on the Supreme Court for the first time. A similar number, 62%, say the same about the fact that there is a current 6-3 conservative majority.
• Fifty-nine percent agree this is true regarding the fact that there are soon to be two Black justices on the bench for the first time in history.
• Some of the views on what is considered significant, however, appear to be informed by partisanship. For example, a strong majority of Democrats say it’s significant that four women are on the court (85% vs. 49% of Republicans) – and three of those four women are considered to be liberal justices.

3. More believe Jackson was treated fairly than not during her confirmation hearing. Most acknowledge that the confirmation hearing process is more about politics and posturing than anything else, and a plurality now feel unfavorable toward the Republican senators leading the charge against Jackson.

• Overall, 41% say Jackson was treated fairly, and 28% disagree. Nearly a third are unsure.
• A majority of those who tuned in, 55%, agree she was treated fairly.
• Though there is fairly significant uncertainty around the treatment of Jackson herself, Americans clearly believe that the confirmation process as a whole is more about politics and posturing than the law (68%). A majority of Republicans and Democrats agree on this.
• For some, the confirmation process had a negative impact on Republicans in the Senate, and more specifically Senators Cotton, Cruz, and Hawley. Just under a quarter feel more favorable about the caucus and these specific senators, while a third now feel unfavorable.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of a USA Today/Ipsos poll, conducted between April 12-13, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English. The sample includes 366 Republicans, 440 Democrats, and 140 Independents.

The sample was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel, partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing a sample. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, and education.

Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,005, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=+/-5.3 percentage points).

The poll also has a credibility interval of plus or minus 6.3 percentage points for Republicans, plus or minus 5.7 percentage points for Democrats and plus or minus 10.1 percentage points for Independents.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President,
Public Affairs, U.S.
[email protected]

Mallory Newall
Vice President,
Public Affairs, U.S.
[email protected]

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