South Dakota Polling Project weighs voters’ opinions on abortion access, recreational marijuana

Political scientists in the School of American and Global Studies at South Dakota State University have gathered opinions from the South Dakota electorate on abortion access and recreational marijuana. 

Researchers David Wiltse, associate professor of political science, and Filip Viskupic, assistant professor of political science, surveyed 782 registered voters in the Fall 2023 Poll conducted by the South Dakota Polling Project from Nov. 18 to Dec. 4, 2023. The voters answered questions about political figures and policy questions of concern to South Dakota residents. 

The South Dakota Polling Project is a nonpartisan research group housed in the School of American and Global Studies. The public opinion polls randomly sampled from the South Dakota Voter File of all registered voters in the state and weighted the data on known population parameters to closely match the characteristics of the state’s population. 

"We started the poll in 2020, both for our own research in public health matters and for questions that are of general political interest for the people of South Dakota,” Wiltse said. 

Details about the Fall 2023 Poll with regard to South Dakotans’ attitudes on abortion and recreational marijuana can be found on the South Dakota Polling Project webpage.