Kentuckians give AG Cameron mixed reviews over Breonna Taylor case

Washington, DC, October 21, 2020 –  A new Spectrum News/Ipsos polls conducted in Kentucky explores gubernatorial approval, sentiments toward COVID-19, voting behavior, and more. 

Detailed Findings

Though COVID-19 is seen as the main problem statewide, respondents in the Louisville metro area are more likely to cite racial injustice than people in other areas of the state.

• Overall, 50% say the coronavirus is the main problem in Kentucky, followed by opioid or drug addiction (39%) and unemployment (34%). At the statewide level, one in five (19%) cite racial injustice as the main problem.
• In the Louisville area, however, COVID-19 (48%) is followed closely by crime or violence (42%) and racial injustice (38%).

Kentuckians have mixed feelings about how Attorney General Daniel Cameron handled the grand jury proceedings around Breonna Taylor’s death, but there is a clear sense that the investigation should continue.

• Thirty-nine percent agree that Cameron handled things well, while 38% disagree. Another quarter (23%) are unsure. Louisville-area residents are also evenly split (43% agree, 45% disagree). At the state level, the most significant difference in opinion is between Republicans and Democrats: 60% of Republicans feel Cameron handled the proceedings, compared to just 23% of Democrats.
• Two-thirds believe the FBI should continue its independent investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, including 75% in the Louisville metro area. There, 51% strongly agree the investigation should be continued.
• In terms of outcomes from the ruling, a majority (59%) believe the protests after the decision was more dangerous for the police officers than the protesters. Two-thirds would like to see no-knock warrants by police banned in Kentucky.
• By a nearly two-to-one margin, most Kentuckians do not support reducing their local police department’s budget to invest in social programs (60% vs. 31% that agree with this approach).

Gov. Andy Beshear’s professional standing is much better than Sen. Mitch McConnell’s.

• Sixty-three percent approve of the job Beshear is doing as governor, while just 39% approve of McConnell as Senate Majority Leader.
• Beshear’s standing is much more solid with his base than McConnell’s. Eighty-four percent of Democrats approve of Beshear, compared to 66% of Republicans who feel the same about McConnell. Additionally, Beshear enjoys favorable job ratings by a plurality of Republicans (49%).
• Beshear earns high marks for his handling of COVID-19 (66%), and a majority approve of the way he’s handling jobs and the economy (56%), crime and public safety (55%), and plans for sending children back to school (53%).

About the Study   

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 7-15, 2020, on behalf of Spectrum News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 adults age 18+ from Kentucky was interviewed online in English.

The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel (see link below for more info on “Access Panels and Recruitment”), partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling (see link below for more info on the Ipsos “Ampario Overview” sample method) 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 population of Kentucky 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. Posthoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, 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 3.5 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=1,001, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=+/-5.0 percentage points).

For more information on this news release, please contact: 

Chris Jackson 
Senior Vice President, US   
Public Affairs   
+1 202 420-2025   
[email protected]     

Mallory Newall 
Director, US   
Public Affairs   
+1 202 420-2014   
[email protected]     

Kate Silverstein 
Media Relations Specialist, US   
Public Affairs   
+1 718 755-8829
[email protected] 

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