Below are the summary results of our VoteMatch 20-question political quiz,
with analysis of the responses in terms of Bush's & Gore's stances.
Click on the links below for excerpts on each topic, or click for a summary of
Gore's VoteMatch answers and
Bush's VoteMatch answers,
with headlines evidencing how we concluded their answer to each question.
Click on the "analysis" link to see background and details about the question.
Abortion is a Woman's Right
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: 61% agree with Gore's pro-choice stance,
and only 35% with Bush's pro-life stance.
This issue has the fewest people answering "no opinion" of any VoteMatch issue (only 4%), which reflects the fact that it is overwhelmingly the issue with the most voter interest (as indicated by our viewership statistics).
Click for all candidates' headlines on abortion
or for background information.
Analysis: It's difficult to decode the candidates's stances on religious issues, since both are wary of issues of separation of church and state, and neither wants to be seen as anti-religion.
But Bush is considerably more willing to federally fund values education, which the results above would imply are supported by 38% of voters.
50% oppose school prayer, which implies a closer match to Gore's voluntary-only prayer.
and 35% with Bush's stance.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Education or for headlines on Values.
Death Penalty
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: Both Gore and Bush support the death penalty,
but Bush is more fervent about it;
such strong support is backed up by 31% of voters.
Gore's more cautious support
is backed by 17% of voters, for an overall split of 47% support to 43% opposition.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Crime
or for background information.
Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: Both Bush & Gore support mandatory sentencing, which is unsurprising given the lopsided voter preference: 66% to 25% in support.
Gore agrees with tougher penalties, but prefers more police.
Bush is again more fervent, in favor of "Two Strikes" and limited parole, including minors.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Juvenile Crime
or for background information.
Analysis: Only 29% agree with Gore's stance to keep Social Security within the federal government,
while 56% agree with Bush's stance of privatization.
Social Security until recently was called the "Third Rail" of politics -- touch it and you die -- but clearly the voters are ready for a change.
This question is perhaps the most skewed by demographics -- our viewers are all Internet users, and hence are younger and more affluent than the general population.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Social Security
or for background information.
Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: 42% agree with Gore's stance to fund public schools only,
and 47% agree with Bush's stance to fund vouchers for private schools.
Education is primarily a non-federal issue, with 93% of funding and most decisions occuring at the state and local levels.
But education is solidly second in voter interest (behind abortion, as measured by our viewership statistics),
so the candidates are obligated to make their views known despite the limited power of the presidency on this issue.
Click for all candidates' headlines on School Choice
or for background information.
Spend Resources To Stop Global Warming
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: The environmental issue is the most lopsided issue on which the candidates sharply differ;
this is a particularly sharp difference because the question is worded in terms of spending and not just a call for vague action.
61% agree with Gore's stance that global warming is a serious threat,
and 25% with Bush's stance opposing the Kyoto Protocol.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Environment
or for background information.
Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: 53% support the Drug War, while 37% oppose it.
This has not been much of a campaign issue because Bush & Gore in large part agree:
Gore would maintain the Drug War but focus on treatment and prevention,
while Bush would maintain the Drug War by focusing on stronger penalties.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Drugs
or for background information.
Analysis: Immigration holds the dubious distinction of the issue with the most viewers answering "No opinion", at 18%.
And the results, 38% in favor and 44% opposed, indicate a lack of voter consensus as well.
Bush has mixed views, calling for a friendlier INS but more border guards.
Gore is less ambiguous, calling for more & easier immigration.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Immigration
or for background information.
Support and Expand Free Trade
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: Free Trade has the smallest strong opposition of our 20 issues (5%, despite the very visible protests throughout the campaign),
as well as a strong consensus in favor: 65% to only 22% opposed.
This consensus is an important reason why Nader's and Buchanan's campaigns have failed to gain steam, since they have both made this issue central to their candidacies.
Nader & Buchanan agree in opposing free trade based on the dangers of "globalization",
with Buchanan focusing on Economic Nationalism,
and Nader focusing on corporate power.
Bush & Gore agree in supporting free trade, with Bush promoting the free market,
and Gore occasionally mentioning fair trade.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Free Trade
or for background information.
More Spending On Armed Forces Personnel
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: This is another strong voter consensus; 62% in favor with only 27% opposed, despite that the wording says MORE spending, not just MAINTAIN spending.
Bush & Gore outdo each other in pledging better military pay; they differ only on what else they would spend on,
with Bush focusing on a general military buildup
and Gore focuing on technological effectiveness.
Cheney's calls for better readiness tend to reinforce this as a Republican issue.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Kosovo or Defense in general,
or for background information.
Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars")
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: This is the only issue of our 20 questions which came out a tie: 42% favor, and 42% oppose.
Bush & Gore agree that we should build some sort of national missile defense;
Gore proposes a less powerful version,
and Bush a full-scale version.
Click for all candidates' headlines on Defense,
or for background information.
Link Human Rights To Trade With China
Strongly Support
Support
No Opinion
Oppose
Strongly Oppose
Analysis: 60% favor restrictions on China trade, with only 24% opposing.
This is the only issue of our 20 questions where Bush & Gore both strongly disagree with the voter's preference --
Gore has pushed for China in the WTO;
Bush agrees and would add Taiwan as well.
Their agreement is not surprising, since both President Clinton and the Republican Congress also agree on this issue.
What is surprising is the strong public consensus against it, which only Nader
and Buchanan acknowledge, and even they have not come out strongly on this issue.
Click for all candidates' headlines on China
or for background information.
Explore The Results
| 2000 Bush-Gore quiz Take the VoteMatch Quiz
| More Issue Results
| How It Works
| Quiz Comments The above analyses reflect data collected from March 2000 through October 2000. Sample size is well over 100,000 viewer sessions.
The margin of error is well under 1%, but the data represents a "self-selected sample" of people who use the Internet for political information.