Survey respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed the " national political initiative known as the Contract with America." According to 1995 Vermonter Poll results, almost one-half of Vermonters surveyed (48.2%) opposed the Contract, 23.6% supported it, and 26.4% indicated they did not know whether or not they supported it (Table 1). State-level survey results had a margin of error of +/-5% with a statistical confidence of 95%.
Similar trends were discovered when analyzing responses from the Chittenden County and Northeast Kingdom regions where the Contract was opposed by 49.5% and 45.8% of respondents, respectively (Table 1). Regional results had a margin of error of +/-5% with a statistical confidence of 90%.
Table 1. Support for Contract with America: Statewide and Regionally (All figures are in percentages) Support/Oppose Vermont Chittenden County Northeast Kingdom Contract (N=705) (N=281) (N=118) with America Support 23.6 26.3 27.1 Oppose 48.2 49.5 45.8 Don't Know 26.4 22.4 26.3 Refused 1.7 1.8 0.8 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Registered voters also were asked to gauge their favorability toward national and state-level political figures and candidates. In general, Vermont's state and national leadership received high favorability marks by survey respondents. Both Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and James Jeffords (R-VT) were viewed favorably by 65.4% and 64.3% of respondents, respectively. Representative Bernard Sanders (I-VT) also was considered favorably by 58.1% of respondents.
At the state level, Governor Howard Dean received relatively high marks with 63.4% of respondents viewing him favorably, 24.3% unfavorably, and 11.0% undecided. Lt. Governor Barbara Snelling (R), who has announced her candidacy for governor, was viewed favorably by 44.4% of respondents, while 35.6% viewed her unfavorably and 16.8% were undecided (Table 2).
According to poll results, U.S. House of Representatives candidate, Susan Sweetser (R), was not recognized by 25.8% of the registered voters surveyed. Approximately 27 percent of survey respondents viewed her favorably, 14.4% were unfavorable, and 31.7% were undecided. Candidates for Lt. Governor, Douglas Racine (D) and John Carroll (R), also were not recognized by relatively large percentages of respondents, 25.8% and 17.4%, respectively. Racine was viewed favorably by 23.1% of the respondents, unfavorably by 13.8%, and 36.2% were undecided. Carroll was considered favorably by 21.7% of those surveyed, unfavorably by 28.8%, and 31.1% were undecided (Table 2).
When asked about national political figures, more than half of the Vermonters surveyed (55.0%) were favorable toward President Bill Clinton, while 34.3% were unfavorable, and 9.7% undecided. The nation's First Lady, Hillary Clinton, was viewed favorably by 49.6% of poll respondents, unfavorably by 36.8%, and 11.4% were undecided on how they favored the president's spouse. Both leaders of the nation's Senate and House of Representatives were viewed less favorably by respondents. One-third of Vermonters polled indicated they viewed Senator Bob Dole (R) favorably, while nearly one-half (49.5%) viewed him unfavorably. House Speaker Rep. Newt Gingrich (R) received the lowest favorability rating of all political figures in question with 13.2% of respondents reporting favorably toward him, 75.6% unfavorably, and 8.5% undecided (Table 2).
Table 2. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Statewide Sample (All numbers are percents) Political Figure Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Refused Recognize Patrick Leahy 65.4 20.2 12.9 0.7 0.8 James Jeffords 64.3 19.1 14.6 1.0 1.0 Bernard Sanders 58.1 31.5 8.1 1.0 1.2 Howard Dean 63.4 24.3 11.0 0.5 0.8 Barbara Snelling 44.4 35.6 16.8 1.9 1.3 Susan Sweetser 27.3 14.4 31.7 25.8 0.8 Doug Racine 23.1 13.8 36.2 25.8 1.2 John Carroll 21.7 28.8 31.1 17.4 1.0 Bill Clinton 55.0 34.3 9.7 0.0 1.0 Hillary Clinton 49.6 36.8 11.4 0.0 2.1 Bob Dole 33.0 49.5 15.8 0.6 1.1 Newt Gingrich 13.2 75.6 8.5 1.8 0.9 Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.
Comparison of 1995 findings to similar questions asked in the 1993 Vermonter Poll revealed significant declines in favorability toward Gov. Dean (from 72.2% to 63.9%), Lt. Gov. Snelling (from 61.2% to 45.0%), and Mrs. Clinton (from 63.6% to 50.7%). Favorability toward Sen. Leahy also changed significantly from 1993 to 1995. Those Vermonters who viewed him favorably stayed the same at about two-thirds of those polled each year; however, fewer Vermonters were unfavorable toward him in 1995 with an increase in those Vermonters who were undecided (Table 3).
Table 3. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: 1993 and 1995 Political Figure Year Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Percent Patrick Leahy 1993 66.2 25.8 7.4 0.6 .00568* 1995 66.0 20.4 13.0 0.7 James Jeffords 1993 65.2 20.9 11.3 2.5 .06800 1995 64.9 19.3 14.8 1.0 Bernard Sanders 1993 54.5 34.9 9.4 1.2 .51200 1995 58.8 31.9 8.2 1.0 Howard Dean 1993 72.2 18.2 8.4 1.2 .00763* 1995 63.9 24.5 11.1 0.5 Barbara Snelling 1993 61.2 22.7 15.1 1.0 .00000* 1995 45.0 36.0 17.1 1.9 Bill Clinton 1993 59.7 32.1 7.8 0.4 .13917 1995 55.6 34.7 9.8 0.0 Hillary Clinton 1993 63.6 28.5 7.1 0.8 .00001* 1995 50.7 37.6 11.7 0.0 *Significantly different at the .05 level. Source: 1993 and 1995 Vermonter Polls, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.
Looking specifically at the responses of the 1995 Chittenden Co. resident sample, favorability increased for Sen. Leahy (to 70.8%), President Clinton (to 58.4%), and Mrs. Clinton (to 54.8%). Favorability also increased for candidates Sweetser (to 43.1%) and Racine (to 33.8%), with fewer respondents failing to recognize them, 11.0% and 14.2%, respectively. Favorability for Carroll stayed about the same (at 23.1%) despite improved name recognition. Declines in favorability were reported by Chittenden Co. respondents for Sen. Dole (to 28.1%) and House Speaker Gingrich (to 10.3%). Levels of favorability remained similar for Sen. Jeffords (at 63.0%), Rep. Sanders (at 56.9%), Gov. Dean (at 63.0%), and Lt. Gov. Snelling (at 43.8%) (Table 4).
Table 4. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Chittenden County Sample (All figures are in percent) Political Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Refused Figure Recognize Patrick Leahy 70.8 18.5 9.6 0.0 1.1 James Jeffords 63.0 21.7 13.5 0.7 1.7 Bernard Sanders 56.9 34.5 7.1 0.4 1.1 Howard Dean 63.0 24.2 11.7 0.0 1.1 Barbara Snelling 43.8 42.0 11.4 1.4 1.4 Susan Sweetser 43.1 19.2 25.6 11.0 1.1 Doug Racine 33.8 20.6 29.5 14.2 1.8 John Carroll 23.1 33.1 29.2 12.5 2.1 Bill Clinton 58.4 29.5 11.0 0.0 1.1 Hillary Clinton 54.8 33.1 10.3 0.0 1.8 Bob Dole 28.1 55.9 13.9 0.7 1.4 Newt Gingrich 10.3 80.4 6.4 1.4 1.4 Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.
An additional sample was taken of the residents of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom (Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties). Compared to the state-level sample, favorability increased regarding Lt. Gov. Snelling (to 48.7%) and House Speaker Gingrich (to 15.4%). The percentage of respondents undecided toward Gingrich also increased (to 18.8%). Favorability toward Sen. Jeffords remained similar to the statewide sample (at 62.4%). While favorability toward Sen. Leahy declined (to 60.7%), much of the increase in respondents was found among those who were undecided toward him (to 18.8%). Similarly, Rep. Sanders' favorability dropped slightly in the Northeast Kingdom (to 54.7%) with a corresponding increase in the percentage of respondents who were undecided toward him (to 13.7%) (Table 5).
Table 5. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Northeast Kingdom Sample (All figures are percentages) Political Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Refused Figure Recognize Patrick Leahy 60.7 22.2 16.2 0.0 0.9 James Jeffords 62.4 19.7 15.4 1.7 0.9 Bernard Sanders 54.7 28.2 13.7 2.6 0.9 Howard Dean 56.4 29.9 12.0 0.9 0.9 Barbara Snelling 48.7 31.6 16.2 2.6 0.9 Susan Sweetser 17.9 12.0 38.5 30.8 0.9 Doug Racine 12.8 8.5 43.6 34.2 0.9 John Carroll 17.9 15.4 40.2 25.6 0.9 Bill Clinton 51.3 38.5 9.4 0.0 0.9 Hillary Clinton 44.9 41.5 11.0 0.0 1.7 Bob Dole 29.1 52.1 17.9 0.0 0.9 Newt Gingrich 15.4 63.2 18.8 1.7 0.9 Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Chittenden Co. respondents were compared to the respondents from Vermont's remaining 13 counties. As shown in Table 6, few significant differences were found between these two groups. Statistically significant differences were discovered regarding favorability toward Snelling, Sweetser, and Racine. While favorability toward Snelling was similar between Chittenden Co. residents (44.4%) and nonresidents (45.1%), a larger percentage of Chittenden Co. residents viewed her unfavorably (42.6%) than did nonresidents (34.1%). County residents also tended to be more undecided about Snelling (18.7%) than nonresidents (11.6%). Sweetser was viewed more favorably by Chittenden Co. respondents (43.5%) than nonresident respondents (22.8%); however, more nonresidents (30.3%) did not recognize her name than Chittenden Co. residents (11.2%). Similarly, the significant difference found between Chittenden Co. respondents and nonresident respondents regarding Racine, was most likely due to more nonresidents indicating they did not recognize his name (29.5%) than did resident respondents (14.5%) (Table 6).
Table 6. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Chittenden County v. Remainder of the State Political Region Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Figure Patrick Leahy Chittenden Co. 71.6 18.7 9.7 0.0 .08643 Remainder of VT 64.3 20.8 14.0 0.9 James Jeffords Chittenden Co. 63.7 21.9 13.7 0.7 .67842 Remainder of VT 65.3 18.5 15.1 1.1 Bernard Sanders Chittenden Co. 57.6 34.9 7.2 0.4 .45438 Remainder of VT 59.2 31.0 8.5 1.2 Howard Dean Chittenden Co. 63.7 24.5 11.9 0.0 .55470 Remainder of VT 64.0 24.5 10.8 0.7 Barbara Snelling Chittenden Co. 44.4 42.6 11.6 1.4 .03010* Remainder of VT 45.1 34.1 18.7 2.1 Susan Sweetser Chittenden Co. 43.5 19.4 25.9 11.2 .00000* Remainder of VT 22.8 13.1 33.7 30.3 Doug Racine Chittenden Co. 34.4 21.0 30.1 14.5 .00000* Remainder of VT 20.2 11.8 38.5 29.5 John Carroll Chittenden Co. 23.6 33.8 29.8 12.7 .08357 Remainder of VT 21.4 27.7 31.9 19.0 Bill Clinton Chittenden Co. 59.0 35.6 11.2 0.0 .21820 Remainder of VT 54.6 36.1 9.4 0.0 Hillary Clinton Chittenden Co. 55.8 33.7 10.5 0.0 .23462 Remainder of VT 49.2 38.8 12.0 0.0 Bob Dole Chittenden Co. 28.5 56.7 14.1 0.7 .16100 Remainder of VT 34.8 48.0 16.6 0.6 Newt Gingrich Chittenden Co. 10.5 81.6 6.5 1.4 .20894 Remainder of VT 14.2 74.7 9.2 2.0 *Significantly different at the .05 level. Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Respondents from the Northeast Kingdom (Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties) were compared to Vermont's remaining 11 counties. As shown in Table 7, statistically significant differences in favorability were discovered regarding Gingrich, Sanders, Racine, and Carroll. While favorability toward Gingrich was similar between NEK respondents (15.5%) and the remainder of the state (13.1%), NEK respondents also were more undecided (19.0%) than non-NEK respondents (7.4%). Favorability toward Sanders also was similar between NEK respondents (55.2%) and non-NEK respondents (59.3%); however, NEK respondents (13.8%) were more undecided than non-NEK respondents (7.6%). For Racine and Carroll, favorability levels were influenced most by larger percentages of NEK respondents being undecided or not recognizing their names (Table 7).
Table 7. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Northeast Kingdom v. Remainder of the State Political Region Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Figure Patrick Leahy NEK 61.2 22.4 16.4 0.0 .46568 Remainder of VT 66.5 20.1 12.6 0.7 James Jeffords NEK 62.9 19.8 15.5 1.7 .86970 Remainder of VT 65.2 19.3 14.7 0.9 Bernard Sanders NEK 55.2 28.4 13.8 2.6 .05271* Remainder of VT 59.3 32.3 7.6 0.8 Howard Dean NEK 56.9 30.2 12.1 0.9 .41437 Remainder of VT 64.7 23.8 10.9 0.5 Barbara Snelling NEK 49.1 31.9 16.4 2.6 .72103 Remainder of VT 44.5 36.5 17.1 1.9 Susan Sweetser NEK 18.1 12.1 38.8 31.0 .05842 Remainder of VT 28.7 14.9 31.1 25.4 Doug Racine NEK 12.9 8.6 44.0 34.5 .00399* Remainder of VT 24.7 14.5 35.7 25.1 John Carroll NEK 18.1 15.5 40.5 25.9 .00098* Remainder of VT 22.4 30.6 30.4 16.6 Bill Clinton NEK 51.7 38.8 9.5 0.0 .63140 Remainder of VT 56.0 34.2 9.8 0.0 Hillary Clinton NEK 46.1 42.6 11.3 0.0 .52070 Remainder of VT 51.2 37.0 11.7 0.0 Bob Dole NEK 29.3 52.6 18.1 0.0 .59803 Remainder of VT 33.8 49.7 15.8 0.7 Newt Gingrich NEK 15.5 63.8 19.0 1.7 .00072* Remainder of VT 13.1 77.7 7.4 1.9 *Significantly different at the .05 level. Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Favorability among respondents toward political candidates was also analyzed according to respondent demographic characteristics including gender, age, college attainment, high school attainment, and 1995 household income.
As shown in Table 8, significant differences in favorability according to gender were discovered for Mrs. Clinton, Dole, Gingrich, Jeffords, Sanders, and Dean. Male respondents were significantly more favorable than female respondents toward Dole (41.4% v. 26.5%), Gingrich (20.7% v. 7.0%), Jeffords (69.2% v. 61.3%), and Dean (69.5% v. 59.2%). Female respondents were statistically more favorable toward Mrs. Clinton (54.9% v. 45.7%) and Sanders (56.9% v. 60.5%).
Table 8. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Respondent Gender Political Figure (All figures are percentages) Respondent Gender Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Patrick Leahy Male 64.2 224.1 11.3 0.5 .10968 Female 67.5 17.2 14.5 0.8 James Jeffords Male 69.2 18.3 12.3 0.2 .03877* Female 61.3 20.2 16.8 1.7 Bernard Sanders Male 56.9 35.8 7.3 0.0 .02014* Female 60.5 28.6 9.0 1.9 Howard Dean Male 69.5 21.0 8.8 0.7 .03264* Female 59.2 27.4 13.0 0.4 Barbara Snelling Male 46.0 36.6 16.3 1.2 .52991 Female 44.1 35.6 17.7 2.6 Susan Sweetser Male 26.0 15.5 33.0 25.5 .76165 Female 28.9 13.7 31.0 26.4 Doug Racine Male 24.4 17.3 34.5 23.8 .07122 Female 22.6 11.0 38.4 28.0 John Carroll Male 25.1 28.9 28.3 17.7 .20957 Female 19.2 29.2 34.1 17.5 Bill Clinton Male 55.3 37.2 7.5 0.0 .12046 Female 55.8 32.5 11.7 0.0 Hillary Clinton Male 45.7 43.9 10.4 0.0 .00744* Female 54.9 32.3 12.8 0.0 Bob Dole Male 41.4 43.2 15.2 0.2 .00027* Female 26.5 55.8 16.7 1.0 Newt Gingrich Male 20.7 71.5 6.6 1.1 .00000* Female 7.0 80.3 10.2 2.4 *Statistically significant at the .05 level. Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Respondents were dichotomized into two groups: those with less than four years of college and those with a four-year college degree or more in educational attainment. According to Table 9, significant differences in favorability were found for President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, Gingrich, Sweetser, and Carroll. Respondents with at least a college degree viewed President Clinton (61.9% v. 51.2%) and Mrs. Clinton (56.2% v. 46.8%) more favorably. Respondents with less than a college degree were more undecided about Speaker Gingrich (11.0% v. 5.4%) and viewed him less unfavorably (74.0% v. 79.3%) (Table 9).
Table 9. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Respondent College Educational Attainment Political Respondent Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Figure Education Patrick Leahy LT College 65.0 20.0 14.6 0.4 .40774 College Plus 67.1 20.8 11.0 1.0 James Jeffords LT College 65.0 20.7 13.7 0.6 .34186 College Plus 64.7 17.4 16.3 1.6 Bernard Sanders LT College 59.1 31.2 8.8 0.9 .84964 College Plus 58.3 32.9 7.5 1.3 Howard Dean LT College 61.1 26.7 11.4 0.8 .28441 College Plus 67.3 21.7 10.7 0.2 Barbara Snelling LT College 49.0 33.7 15.3 2.0 .11580 College Plus 40.0 38.8 19.4 1.9 Susan Sweetser LT College 26.1 12.5 31.0 30.4 .01474* College Plus 29.1 17.5 33.3 20.2 Doug Racine LT College 22.3 13.5 34.5 29.7 .09402 College Plus 24.5 14.6 39.7 21.3 John Carroll LT College 22.8 26.0 29.8 21.5 .00732* College Plus 20.9 33.5 33.1 12.5 Bill Clinton LT College 51.2 39.3 9.5 0.0 .00962* College Plus 61.9 28.5 9.7 0.0 Hillary Clinton LT College 46.8 40.5 12.7 0.0 .05282* College Plus 56.2 33.6 10.2 0.0 Bob Dole LT College 33.7 48.5 16.7 1.1 .24543 College Plus 33.0 52.3 14.6 0.0 Newt Gingrich LT College 12.2 74.0 11.0 2.8 .00561* College Plus 14.8 79.3 5.4 0.5 *Significantly different at the .05 level. Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Respondents were also dichotomized into two groups regarding high school educational attainment: those with a high school degree or less in educational attainment and those with more than a high school degree. Statistically significant differences in favorability between groups were discovered for President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, Dole, Gingrich, Sweetser, Dean, Racine, and Carroll. Respondents with more than a high school degree viewed more favorably President Clinton (59.8% v. 46.9%), Mrs. Clinton (55.3% v. 41.1%), and Governor Dean (67.4% v. 55.9%). Respondents with more than a high school degree were more unfavorable toward Dole (51.9% v. 46.3%) and less undecided about him (14.3% v. 19.0%). While there was a general tendency to not favor Speaker Gingrich, those with a high school degree were more favorable toward him (15.0% v. 9.5%) and less undecided (6.4% v. 13.3%). For Sweetser, respondents with a high school degree or less were less favorable (21.2% v. 30.2%) and were more likely to not recognize her name (38.5% v. 20.4%) than respondents with more than a high school degree. For both Racine and Carroll, respondents with a high school degree or less were less likely to recognize their names (Table 10).
Table 10. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Respondent High School Educational Attainment Political Respondent Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Figure Education Patrick Leahy HS or Less 63.5 18.5 17.2 0.7 .16621 > HS 67.0 21.2 11.1 0.7 James Jeffords HS or Less 66.1 16.6 17.0 0.3 .24210 > HS 64.3 20.6 13.8 1.4 Bernard Sanders HS or Less 58.1 29.8 11.3 0.7 .22221 > HS 59.1 32.9 6.9 1.2 Howard Dean HS or Less 55.9 32.2 10.5 1.4 .00145* > HS 67.4 21.0 11.4 0.1 Barbara Snelling HS or Less 52.4 30.8 15.1 1.7 .07670 > HS 41.8 38.2 17.9 2.1 Susan Sweetser HS or Less 21.2 9.3 31.0 38.5 .00000* > HS 30.2 17.0 32.4 20.4 Doug Racine HS or Less 20.3 15.2 30.6 33.9 .00717* > HS 24.5 13.4 39.5 22.6 John Carroll HS or Less 20.7 24.6 28.1 26.7 .00036* > HS 22.6 31.3 32.6 13.5 Bill Clinton HS or Less 46.9 42.3 10.8 0.0 .00555* > HS 59.8 31.2 9.0 0.0 Hillary Clinton HS or Less 41.1 42.9 16.0 0.0 .00121* > HS 55.3 35.1 9.6 0.0 Bob Dole HS or Less 32.6 46.3 19.1 1.9 .00633* > HS 33.8 51.9 14.3 0.0 Newt Gingrich HS or Less 9.5 74.0 13.3 3.2 .00170* > HS 15.0 77.3 6.4 1.2 * Significantly different at the .05 level. Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Respondent's 1995 household income was dichotomized to below and above the state's approximate median household income as reported in the 1990 U.S. Census of Population and Housing. As shown in Table 11, respondent household income did not significantly affect their favorability toward this group of state and national political figures.
Table 11. Favorability of State and National Political Figures: Respondent HH Income Political Respondent Favorable Unfavorable Undecided Don't Recognize CHISQ Figure Income Patrick Leahy $30,000 or Less 63.8 19.9 15.7 0.6 .29315 > $30,000 68.0 20.7 10.6 0.8 James Jeffords $30,000 or Less 66.4 17.5 14.5 1.6 .65230 > $30,000 64.8 20.6 13.8 0.8 Bernard Sanders $30,000 or Less 62.6 28.1 8.3 1.0 .50726 > $30,000 58.0 33.6 7.2 1.2 Howard Dean $30,000 or Less 61.2 27.0 10.6 1.2 .18376 > $30,000 66.1 22.5 11.3 0.2 Barbara Snelling $30,000 or Less 47.8 32.8 17.5 1.9 .31912 > $30,000 42.2 40.1 15.9 1.8 Susan Sweetser $30,000 or Less 23.7 12.8 35.4 28.1 .16638 > $30,000 29.5 15.8 31.6 23.1 Doug Racine $30,000 or Less 22.5 15.2 38.5 23.8 .44797 > $30,000 23.4 12.5 35.7 28.4 John Carroll $30,000 or Less 21.3 27.5 29.8 21.5 .13564 > $30,000 21.7 30.6 33.3 14.4 Bill Clinton $30,000 or Less 56.8 34.7 8.5 0.0 .91631 > $30,000 55.4 35.4 9.2 0.0 Hillary Clinton $30,000 or Less 53.9 33.7 12.4 0.0 .10056 > $30,000 49.7 41.4 8.9 0.0 Bob Dole $30,000 or Less 34.7 49.7 14.4 1.2 .51751 > $30,000 32.9 51.4 15.4 0.3 Newt Gingrich $30,000 or Less 12.2 76.1 8.5 3.2 .29837 > $30,000 13.7 77.0 8.1 1.9 Source: 1995 Vermonter Poll, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont.Survey respondents reported a median age of approximately 45 years. Statistically significant differences by respondent age were discovered for Jeffords and Sanders. Respondents who were 45-years-old and older were more favorable than younger respondents toward both political figures. Additionally, younger respondents were more undecided toward Jeffords (18.6% v. 12.3%) (Table 12).