To analyze the data and draw a conclusion about the importance of the Second Amendment over time, we can closely examine the trends in the responses across different years. Let's break down the relevant categories and their percentages for each year surveyed:
1. Only vote for candidate who shares views:
- 2015: 26%
- 2000: 11%
- 1999: 15%
2. Consider gun control as one of many important factors:
- 2015: 54%
- 2000: 64%
- 1999: 63%
3. Not consider gun control a major issue:
- 2015: 17%
- 2000: 20%
- 1999: 21%
4. No opinion:
- 2015: 4%
- 2000: 3%
- 1999: (not explicitly stated)
From this data, we can draw the following conclusions:
- The number of voters who think gun issues are important has increased since 2000:
- The percentage of people who would only vote for a candidate who shares their views on gun control increased from 11% in 2000 to 26% in 2015.
- The number of voters who consider gun issues as one of many important factors has decreased since 2000:
- This percentage has dropped from 64% in 2000 to 54% in 2015.
- The number of voters who do not consider gun control a major issue has slightly decreased since 1999:
- This percentage decreased from 21% in 1999 to 17% in 2015.
- The number of voters with no opinion hasn’t changed dramatically:
- It was 3% in 2000 and 4% in 2015, which is not a dramatic increase and for 1999 the specific value is not available.
Given these points, we can evaluate the provided conclusions:
1. The number of voters who think the gun issues are important has decreased since 1999:
- This statement is false, as the number has increased in terms of the polar category (only vote for a candidate who shares views).
2. The number of voters who think gun issues are the most important have stayed the same:
- This statement is false, as we see an increase in the percentage of people who only vote for a candidate who shares their views from 2000 to 2015.
3. More voters think gun issues are important or very important today compared to 2000:
- This statement is true, as the percentage of voters who would only vote for a candidate who shares their views has increased from 11% in 2000 to 26% in 2015.
4. The number of voters who have no opinion on gun issues has increased dramatically:
- This statement is false. While there is a slight increase from 3% to 4%, it is not dramatic.
Thus, the correct conclusion based on the data provided would be:
More voters think gun issues are important or very important today compared to 2000.
