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Running Head: MARIJUANA SURVEY

Quiz# 9

Ask500people.com Marijuana Survey

Erika Richardson

Tuskegee University

SOWK 300-01

March 12, 2010

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Abstract

There is controversy over legalizing the usage of marijuana in the U.S.

People were asked online if marijuana should be illegal or legal in the

United States. This survey will help identify attitudes from the public on

legalizing marijuana. The results of the online survey are shown as

charts and tables using variables of the respondents of the online

survey.

Introduction
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The usage of marijuana is illegal in the United States. Marijuana is seen

as a narcotic and can supposedly damage the human respiratory

system, memory cells and cause various side effects. This narcotic is

usually distributed illegally by a street pharmacist or a drug dealer.

This report shows the views of respondents who have been asked if

marijuana should be made legal or illegal in the United States. The

overview of the online survey, region of respondents, gender of

respondents , age group, income, education level and voter type are

all examined through charts and tables from the data of the online

survey. More male respondents would legalize marijuana. More of the

older population of respondents would legalize marijuana. More

respondents living outside of the U.S. would legalize marijuana in the

U.S. Most likely more college students would want to legalize

marijuana in the U.S. The more a respondent makes they tend to want

to legalize marijuana. The question can be viewed and answered on

http://www.ask500people.com/questions/should-marijuana-be-

illegal-or-legal-in-the-united-states.

Results (Tables)

Table 1

Should Marijuana be illegal or legal by Gender of R(%)

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Gender of Respondents

Attitudes Male Female Totals

Illegal 20.1 4.9 25.0

Legal 45.8 29.2 75.0

Total 100 100 100.0

(N) (12) (36) (48)

In the table above, the gender of respondents and their views on

legalizing marijuana in the United States are shown. 20.1 percent of

male respondents would want marijuana to remain illegal in the United

States. 4.9 percent of female respondents would also like marijuana to

remain illegal. 45.8 percent of male respondents would like marijuana

to be legal in the U.S. 29.2 percent of female respondents would also

like marijuana to become legal.

There is a higher percentage of males and females who want

marijuana to be legal than those who do not think marijuana should be

legal in the U.S. More male respondents would like to legalize

marijuana than female respondents who would like marijuana to

become legal.

Table 2

Should Marijuana be illegal or legal in the U.S. by Age of R(%)

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Age of Respondents

Attitudes Under 18 18-25 26-45 46+ Totals

Legal 0.0 8.6 39.8 28.7 77.1

Illegal 3.0 6.3 12.6 10.5 34.6

Totals 100 100 100 100 100.0

(N) (3) (22) (16) (10) (51)

In this table, the age of the respondents and their views on legalizing

marijuana are shown. 0.0 percent of respondents under 18 want to

legalize marijuana. 8.6 percent of 18-25 yr. olds do want t legalize

marijuana. 39.8 percent of respondents 26-45 yrs. would legalize

marijuana. 28.7 percent of respondents 46 and plus would legalize

marijuana. 34.6 percent of respondents would not legalize marijuana in

the U.S., out of those respondents, 3.0 percent were under 18, 6.3

percent are 18-25, 12.6 percent are 26-45, and 10.5 percent are 46

and older.

More respondents would legalize marijuana in the U.S. More

respondents between the ages 26 through 45 would legalize marijuana

in the U.S. than respondents who would like marijuana to remain

illegal.

Table 3

Should Marijuana be illegal or legal in the U.S. by the region of R(%)

Region of Respondents
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Attitudes Outside of U.S. Within U.S. Totals

Legal 25.0 11.0 36.0

Illegal 33.0 12.5 45.5

Totals 100 100 100.0

(N) (17) (7) (24)

In table 3, the region of the respondents and their attitudes towards

legalizing marijuana in the U.S. is shown. 25 percent of respondents

outside of the U.S. think marijuana should be legal in the United States.

11 percent of respondents within the United States think marijuana

should be legal. 33.0 percent of respondents living outside of the U.S.

agree marijuana should remain illegal. 12.5 percent of respondents

think marijuana should remain illegal as well.

More respondents think marijuana should remain illegal in the United

States whether living outside or within the U.S. More respondents

outside of the U.S. think that marijuana should remain illegal.

Results (Graphs)
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Should Marijuana be legal or illegal by Income of R(%)

35 32.8

30

25
20.7
Percentage

20 17.7 Legal
Illegal
15
10 10
10 8.5

0
Low Middle High
Income

In this graph, the respondent income and their attitudes toward

legalizing marijuana in the United States are shown. 32.8 percent of

respondents with low income would legalize marijuana. 10 percent of

low income respondents would want marijuana to remain illegal in the

U.S. 20.7 percent of middle income respondents would legalize

marijuana while 8.6 percent would want marijuana to remain illegal.

17.7 percent of high income respondents want marijuana to be

legalized while 10 percent of high income respondents would want

marijuana to remain illegal in the U.S.

More respondents with low income would like marijuana to become

legal in the U.S. The lower the income the more respondents tend to

want to legalize marijuana.

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Should M arijuana be Ille gal or Le gal by Education Le v e l of R(%)

40
35.2
35

30

25
21.8
Percentage

Legal
20
16 Illegal
14.8
15

8.9
10
4.5
5

0
High School College Grad School
Education Level

In this graph, the respondent education level and attitudes towards

legalizing marijuana in the U.S. is shown. 16 percent of respondents in

high School think marijuana should be made legal. 8.9 percent of high

school respondents think marijuana should remain illegal. 35.2 percent

of college respondents would legalize marijuana and 14.8 percent

would not. 21.8 percent of Grad school respondents would legalize

marijuana and 4.5 percent of Grad school respondents would not.

More respondents attending College would want marijuana to become

legal than all other respondents. More respondents attending college

would want marijuana to remain illegal in the United States than other

respondents who oppose to the usage of marijuana.

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Should M arijuana be Illegal or Legal? (Overvie w)

Legal
36%

Legal
Illegal Illegal
64%

In the graph, the overview of all the respondent attitudes towards

legalizing marijuana in the U.S. is shown. 64 percent of respondents

believe marijuana should remain illegal in the United States. 36

percent of respondents believe marijuana should be made legal in the

United States.

More respondents think marijuana should be made legal in the United

States than those who believe marijuana should remain illegal in the

U.S.
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Should Marijuana be Illegal or Legal by Voter Type

25
Independent
45
Voter Type

Illegal
Legal

14
Community
25

0 10 20 30 40 50
Percentage

In this graph, respondent voter type and attitudes towards legalizing

marijuana in the United States are shown. The independent

respondents are the visitors of the website from around the world and

other websites. The community respondents are visitors from the

ask500people website. 45 percent of independent respondents would

legalize marijuana. 25 percent of independent respondents would like

marijuana to remain illegal. 25 percent if the community respondent

would like to legalize marijuana. 14 percent of the community

respondent would like marijuana to remain illegal in the U.S.

Out of both voter type’s, more respondents would want to legalize

marijuana in the United States.

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Summary

This survey was to help identify attitudes from the public on legalizing

marijuana. The overview of the online survey, region of respondents,

gender of respondents , age group, income, education level and voter

type are all examined through charts and tables from the data of the

online survey. My hypotheses states, more male respondents would

legalize marijuana. More of the older population of respondents would

legalize marijuana. More respondents living outside of the U.S. would

legalize marijuana in the U.S. Most likely more college students would

want to legalize marijuana in the U.S. The more a respondent makes

they tend to want to legalize marijuana. As a result, more male

respondents would like to legalize marijuana than female respondents

who would like marijuana to become legal. . More respondents

between the ages 26 through 45 would legalize marijuana in the U.S.

than respondents who would like marijuana to remain illegal. More

respondents with low income would like marijuana to become legal in

the U.S. More respondents attending college would want marijuana to

remain illegal in the United States than other respondents who oppose

to the usage of marijuana. More respondents think marijuana should

be made legal in the United States than those who believe marijuana

should remain illegal in the U.S. Out of both voter type’s, more

respondents would want to legalize marijuana in the United States.

Appendix
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