Allowing Oklahomans to live independently in their home has high support in recent poll

Oklahoma likely voters support legislation if it means helping some Oklahomans live in their own homes as opposed to a nursing home, according to the last SoonerPoll Quarterly.

Slightly more than half strongly supported the required legislation to better implement these alternatives.  Another 34.7 percent somewhat supported them.

[QUESTION] The state and federal governments pay the full cost of care for the majority of nursing home patients. There are often less costly alternatives to nursing home stays, such as programs that allow Oklahomans to live independently in their own home, but would require legislative action to better implement these alternatives.  Would you SUPPORT or OPPOSE legislation that encouraged better implementation of these less costly alternatives?

1. Strongly support 51.3%
2. Somewhat support 34.7
COMBINED SUPPORT 86.0
3. No opinion/Don't know/Refused [DNR] 8.7
4. Somewhat oppose 3.9
5. Strongly oppose 1.4
COMBINED OPPOSE 5.3

The idea has broad-based support throughout the poll results.

Among Republicans, 47.7 percent strongly support the legislation and another 36.7 percent somewhat supported it. Strong support was slightly higher with Democrats and Independents with 54.8 percent of Democrats and 56.1 percent of Independents.

Support was also strong all along the ideological spectrum with 86.9 percent of liberals in support, 88.9 percent of moderates and 85.1 percent of conservatives.

Strong support was also observed among voters with all levels of education, age, and  income.

Respondents in the poll were also asked if they supported or opposed antipsychotic medications being dispensed to nursing home residents without a psychiatric diagnosis. Nearly three fourths, or 74.4 percent, of likely voting Oklahomans supported legislation that would require nursing home patients to first have a psychiatric diagnosis before receiving antipsychotic medications.

About the Poll

SoonerPoll.com, Oklahoma’s public opinion pollster, asked these questions of Oklahoma likely voters as part of the SoonerPoll Quarterly Poll, and were commissioned by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

The scientific study was conducted from December 17-28, 2018 with 400 likely Oklahoma voters selected at random statewide from a tri-frame of both landline telephone and cell phones, plus SoonerPoll's proprietary online panel. The sample was weighted by age, political party, sex and congressional district in order to reflect the Oklahoma likely voter population for a primary election. The weighting was conducted using a 'layered technique.'

The sample reflects the traditional demographical profile of the Oklahoma likely voter with roughly half of respondents identifying as conservative and attending religious services once or more per week. The study has a Margin of Error (MoE) of ±4.9 percent.

This poll not only conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls but exceeds the standard disclosure with a Call Disposition and Rate Calculation Report. A complete description of the methodology can be found here.

The poll's Call Disposition and Rate Calculation Report can be viewed here.  A beta version of the Weighting Table Report can be viewed here.