February 11, 2009 - Obama's Approval In Connecticut Almost Rell-Like, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Back Stimulus, But Don't Think It Will Help Them Word format Connecticut voters approve 69 - 18 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, short of the 75 - 19 percent approval for Republican Gov. Jodi Rell, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. President Obama gets a 92 - 2 percent approval among Democrats and 69 - 15 percent among independent voters, while Republicans turn thumbs down 49 - 31 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Connecticut voters approve 63 - 21 percent of the way Obama is handling the economy. While Republicans disapprove 52 - 26 percent, Obama's approval on the economy is consistent across all age groups and income levels. By a 58 - 32 percent margin, voters support Obama's Economic Stimulus Package, and 52 percent are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" it will work, while 45 percent are "not too confident" or "not confident at all." And voters say 59 - 33 percent that the Stimulus Package will not help them personally. Democrats split 45 - 43 percent on whether the package will help, while Republicans, independent voters and voters in every income and age group do not expect to benefit personally. "President Obama starts off with a high approval rating in Connecticut - in Jodi Rell territory" said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D. "Voters are optimistic that the economy will get better under President Obama and they support his Economic Stimulus Package. But they don't expect the Stimulus Package to start working for at least a year, and most don't expect it to help them personally." Only 5 percent of Connecticut voters expect the Stimulus Package to work in less than a year, while 73 percent say it will take longer and 19 percent say it never will work. But 68 percent of voters, including 43 percent of Republicans, expect the economy to get better during Obama's first term. Only 2 percent of Connecticut voters describe the national economy as "good," while 28 percent say "not so good" and 69 percent say "poor," by 1 percentage point the lowest measure of the nation's economy ever in the state. Voter opinion of the state's economy also is the lowest ever, as 6 percent say "good," 53 percent say "not so good" and 39 percent say poor. Looking at their own finances, 4 percent of Connecticut voters say "excellent" with 44 percent who say "good," 35 percent who say "not so good" and 15 percent who say "poor," once again the lowest measure on this question. Only 18 percent of Connecticut voters say they are better off than they were a year ago, while 60 percent say they are worse off and 21 percent say things are the same. Only 24 percent expect things to get better for them in the next year, while 20 percent expect things to get worse and 51 percent say things will stay the same. "Even with a bleak outlook for the state and national economy, and their personal financial situation, Connecticut voters have high approval ratings for their Democratic President, Barack Obama, and their Republican Governor, Jodi Rell," Dr. Schwartz said. From February 5 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,603 Connecticut registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. 17. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 69% 31% 92% 69% 66% 71% Disapprove 18 49 2 15 20 16 DK/NA 13 21 6 16 13 13 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Approve 71% 69% 68% 69% 68% 67% 69% 69% Disapprove 16 18 19 15 19 20 17 19 DK/NA 13 14 13 16 13 12 14 12 25. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 63% 26% 86% 67% 60% 66% Disapprove 21 52 3 18 23 19 DK/NA 16 22 11 15 17 15 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Approve 66% 64% 62% 64% 62% 63% 64% 63% Disapprove 16 21 22 16 25 24 19 24 DK/NA 17 15 17 19 13 14 18 13 26. Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent - - - - - - Good 2 4 1 1 2 2 Not so good 28 38 25 28 28 29 Poor 69 58 74 71 70 69 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 - AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent - - - - - - - - Good 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 Not so good 33 28 26 31 26 28 30 26 Poor 64 70 71 66 72 71 67 72 DK/NA - 1 1 1 1 - 1 - TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Feb 11 Dec 17 Mar 27 Sep 30 Aug 19 Dec 20 Apr 23 2009 2008 2008 2004 2004 2001 2001 Excellent - - - 1 1 1 4 Good 2 2 11 36 36 31 57 Not so good 28 29 43 45 44 54 34 Poor 69 68 45 18 18 13 5 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 27. Would you describe the state of Connecticut's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent - - - - - - Good 6 12 5 4 7 6 Not so good 53 58 50 54 50 57 Poor 39 29 44 40 42 37 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 - 1 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Excellent - - - - - Good 10 6 9 3 7 Not so good 61 49 50 54 50 Poor 29 45 40 42 43 DK/NA - 1 1 2 - AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent - - - - - - - - Good 9 5 7 5 6 10 6 8 Not so good 55 53 52 52 54 54 53 54 Poor 36 41 40 42 40 37 40 38 DK/NA - - 1 1 1 - 1 - TREND: Would you describe the state of Connecticut's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? EXCLNT+GOOD... High Low Feb 10 Dec 17 Jul 1 Apr 7 Nov 24 Dec 20 Feb 10 2009 2008 2008 2005 2004 2001 2009 Excellent - - 1 2 2 3 - Good 6 11 29 43 51 51 6 Not so good 53 62 48 41 36 38 53 Poor 39 26 22 12 8 7 39 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 28. Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent 4% 7% 4% 3% 6% 3% Good 44 54 39 44 45 42 Not so good 35 26 41 36 33 38 Poor 15 12 15 15 14 15 DK/NA 2 1 1 2 2 2 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Excellent 4% 2% 5% 3% 8% Good 46 43 43 42 44 Not so good 35 38 36 36 31 Poor 13 15 10 18 14 DK/NA 2 2 6 1 3 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent 5% 5% 3% 2% 4% 8% 3% 6% Good 38 48 41 28 47 64 36 57 Not so good 31 34 40 44 37 21 40 28 Poor 24 13 13 25 11 6 19 7 DK/NA 1 1 3 2 1 - 3 1 TREND: Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 Apr 23 2009 2008 2001 2001 Excellent 4 5 11 10 Good 44 48 65 63 Not so good 35 34 18 20 Poor 15 12 5 6 DK/NA 2 1 1 1 29. Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better off 18% 22% 18% 17% 22% 14% Worse off 60 55 60 61 57 62 SAME(VOL) 21 22 20 22 19 23 DK/NA 1 1 2 1 1 1 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Better off 13% 17% 15% 20% 23% Worse off 66 59 56 58 54 SAME(VOL) 19 23 28 21 20 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 2 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Better off 30% 21% 9% 17% 22% 20% 17% 19% Worse off 52 61 63 58 62 57 60 59 SAME(VOL) 16 17 27 24 15 23 22 21 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 TREND: Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago? BETTER OFF.... High Low Feb 11 Dec 17 Jul 1 Apr 7 Nov 24 Nov 24 Feb 11 2009 2008 2008 2005 2004 2004 2009 Better off 18 22 25 39 40 40 18 Worse off 60 58 60 35 32 32 60 Same 21 18 14 25 26 26 21 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 30. During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Get better 24% 26% 27% 20% 26% 23% Get worse 20 17 19 21 19 20 Stay the same 51 51 51 54 51 52 DK/NA 5 6 4 4 4 5 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Get better 21% 27% 17% 27% 22% Get worse 21 20 19 19 18 Stay the same 51 48 60 51 56 DK/NA 7 5 4 3 4 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Get better 44% 24% 16% 28% 19% 26% 25% 22% Get worse 17 22 19 17 22 23 20 19 Stay the same 37 50 59 52 55 49 49 55 DK/NA 2 4 6 4 4 2 5 3 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 2009 2008 2001 Get better 24 25 33 Get worse 20 18 7 Stay the same 51 53 58 DK/NA 5 4 2 31. By the end of Barack Obama's term in office, do you expect the economy to be better than it is today, worse than it is today, or about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better 68% 43% 86% 65% 68% 68% Worse 10 22 2 10 11 9 Same 18 28 10 20 17 19 DK/NA 4 6 2 5 4 4 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Better 63% 71% 56% 71% 71% Worse 9 9 9 11 11 Same 22 17 28 15 16 DK/NA 6 3 7 4 2 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Better 77% 69% 63% 65% 69% 69% 67% 70% Worse 5 11 11 11 9 11 10 10 Same 18 18 19 19 19 18 19 17 DK/NA 1 3 7 5 3 3 4 4 32. Congress is debating President Obama's economic stimulus package which includes tax cuts and new federal spending of about 800 billion dollars. Do you support or oppose this economic stimulus package? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Support 58% 23% 82% 57% 58% 57% Oppose 32 71 9 31 35 29 DK/NA 10 5 8 12 6 13 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Support 57% 58% 52% 59% 60% Oppose 35 30 38 29 33 DK/NA 7 12 10 12 8 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Support 61% 60% 54% 58% 57% 59% 57% 59% Oppose 29 30 35 30 33 34 32 33 DK/NA 11 10 10 11 10 6 11 8 33. How confident are you that this economic stimulus package will help solve the nation's economic problems - Very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very confident 5% 1% 11% 2% 5% 5% Smwht confident 47 19 66 49 45 49 Not too confident 26 33 16 31 28 24 Not confident at all 19 45 4 16 20 18 DK/NA 3 2 2 3 2 4 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Very confident 6% 5% 3% 4% 5% Smwht confident 46 47 44 48 49 Not too confident 25 22 29 29 28 Not confident at all 21 22 23 15 16 DK/NA 2 4 2 4 2 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Very confident 5% 5% 5% 7% 5% 3% 6% 4% Smwht confident 46 49 45 48 45 49 46 49 Not too confident 30 24 27 26 29 23 26 25 Not confident at all 15 20 20 16 19 23 18 21 DK/NA 4 3 3 4 2 2 4 2 34. How long do you think it will take for the program to work - less than a year, more than a year, or will it never work? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Less than a year 5% 2% 6% 5% 4% 5% More than a year 73 51 88 75 71 74 Never 19 43 4 17 22 16 DK/NA 4 4 2 4 3 4 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Less than a year 4% 5% 7% 4% 5% More than a year 71 71 72 77 72 Never 21 19 20 15 20 DK/NA 3 4 1 4 3 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Less than a year 5% 5% 4% 7% 3% 5% 6% 4% More than a year 79 72 71 74 76 68 73 73 Never 12 20 20 15 18 25 17 22 DK/NA 4 2 5 4 3 1 5 1 35. Do you think the economic stimulus package will help your personal financial situation? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 33% 17% 45% 30% 32% 33% No 59 79 43 63 61 57 DK/NA 9 4 13 7 7 10 MdlSex Toll,Wndm Farfld Hrtfrd Lchfld NewHvn NewLon Yes 31% 35% 25% 35% 32% No 59 58 71 54 62 DK/NA 10 8 4 10 6 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Yes 34% 37% 27% 33% 37% 28% 34% 30% No 57 56 63 56 56 67 56 63 DK/NA 9 6 11 11 7 5 10 7
