Gov. Sam Brownback and the Kansas Legislature have lower approval ratings in Kansas than President Barack Obama, according to a recent poll from Fort Hays State University.

In fact, of all the public institutions and elected officials asked about in the poll, the one with the highest approval rating was one that Brownback and lawmakers spend a great deal of time attacking: the Kansas Supreme Court.

That may not be saying much, given that only 45 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with the Supreme Court. But at least it was higher than the 25 percent approval rating for the Legislature, or Brownback’s 21 percent rating.

By comparison, in the solidly Republican state of Kansas, 34 percent said they were either somewhat or very satisfied with President Obama.

That may be of interest to Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who has been touting endorsements from Brownback and other GOP officeholders in the state leading up to Saturday’s Republican caucuses.

Those were just some of the findings in the survey by FHSU’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs leading up to Saturday’s Republican and Democratic presidential caucuses in Kansas.

In addition, in the survey of voters’ presidential favorites, which was released last week, the Docking Institute asked about a wide range of political and social issues. And, similar to the Kansas Speaks survey from last fall, it showed most Kansans are much more moderate in political ideology than their elected leaders.

The survey sampled 440 Kansas adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Among the issues specific to Kansas:

• 77 percent said funding for public schools in Kansas generally should increase, and 63 percent want increased funding for their own local schools.

• Two-thirds (66 percent) oppose the Legislature’s decision to allow concealed carry of handguns without a permit or training requirements. Nearly half (49 percent) said they strongly oppose that decision.

• Only 23 percent said they are “extremely” or “very” concerned that a terrorist attack will occur in Kansas, while 49 percent said they are “somewhat” concerned, and 28 percent said they are not concerned at all.

However, when it comes to allowing Middle Eastern refugees fleeing war and persecution to come to Kansas, the poll showed Kansans’ attitudes line up pretty well with their elected leaders: 51 percent oppose such a policy, while only 36 percent support it.

The survey also asked about several national political issues. And again, it showed most Kansans to be more moderate, or even liberal, than their elected Republican leaders.

• Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) said taxes should be raised on the nation’s top income earners, and more than half (57 percent) said large corporations should pay more in taxes.

• Concern about the federal budget deficit was split about evenly, with one-third saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about it; another third saying they’re “somewhat” concerned; and about a third saying they’re not concerned at all.

• More than half (53 percent) said they would support allowing a pathway to citizenship for illegal or undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record. But a sizable number, 23 percent, support deporting all undocumented immigrants.

• And nearly half (48 percent) said they oppose defunding Planned Parenthood, while only 35 percent support it. The other 18 percent had no opinion either way.

The question is often asked how the political views of elected officials be so different from those of the people they represent.

The answer appears to be simple. “Average” Kansans don’t vote in primary elections where candidates are selected. Only the most passionate and partisan voters do.