We recently surveyed 100 random residents of Jefferson, asking them a series of questions regarding their current views on politics, religion, and other topics. On some questions, people were allowed to select more than one answer, so totals may exceed 100. We have selected a few of the results for publication and present them below. The five most frequently cited responses are listed.

 2011 Jefferson Public Opinion Survey

WHAT IS THE MAIN ISSUE FACING VOTERS IN 2012?

 1. Bad economy ..... 41

2. Taxes are too high ..... 44

3. Abortion ..... 63

4. Gay marriage ..... 88

5. Obama is president ..... 97

WHAT IS BARACK OBAMA'S MAIN PROBLEM?

1. Too liberal ..... 29

2. Main reason for recession ..... 49

3. Acts uppity ..... 69

4. He's the Antichrist ..... 78

5. Anything but definitely not his race ..... 94

WHAT FEDERAL ENTITIES HAVE YOU RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM?

1. Unemployment ..... 72

2. Farm Subsidies ..... 74

3. SSI / Disability ..... 81

4. Government paychecks ..... 88

5. Social Security ..... 93

HOW OLD IS THE EARTH?

1. Less than 10,000 years ..... 80

2. About 10,000 years ..... 14

3. Between 10,000 and 100,000 years ..... 13

4. Maybe one million years ..... 3

5. Over a billion years ..... 0

WHAT WAS A PRIMARY LESSON TAUGHT BY JESUS?

1. There will always be poor people ..... 99

2. Abortion is murder ..... 91

3. People on welfare are lazy ..... 70

4. Lower taxes ..... 69

5. Treat all people, including strangers, with respect and dignity ..... 0

WHAT IS YOUR MAIN MODE OF TRANSPORTATION?

1. Walking ..... 23

2. Walking with cane ..... 24

3. Using walker ..... 11

4. Wheelchair ..... 9

5. Medicare-purchased motorized vehicle ..... 30

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT?

1. Steven King ..... 6

2. Sarah Palin ..... 15

3. Michele Bachmann ..... 19

4. Glen Beck ..... 25

5. Pat Robertson ..... 35