March 9, 2011 - No Honeymoon For Connecticut's New Governor, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Budget Plan Taxes Too Much, Unfair To Them Word format Connecticut's new governor, Dannel Malloy, gets no honeymoon as voters disapprove 40 - 35 percent of the job he is doing, with 25 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters are optimistic, 55 - 39 percent, about the next four years under Gov. Malloy, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. And they say 89 - 7 percent that Malloy's town hall meetings to discuss the budget and the economy are a good idea. But they disapprove 51 - 32 percent of the way he is handling the budget and turn thumbs down on his budget plan: 66 percent say the plan increases taxes too much, as 3 percent say too little and 19 percent say the tax level is about right; 39 percent say it cuts spending too little, with 17 percent saying too much and 29 percent say about right; 16 percent say it increases taxes on the wealthy too much, as 48 percent say too little and 24 percent say about right; 68 percent say it raises taxes on the middle class too much, with 1 percent saying too little and 21 percent saying about right. Malloy's budget proposals are unfair to "people like you," voters say 56 - 31 percent. Democrats say "unfair" 45 - 41 percent and Republicans agree 65 - 25 percent and independent voters agree 59 - 28 percent. "Connecticut voters are in a grumpy mood. Nearly 70 percent are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the state and no elected official in this survey has an approval rating above 50 percent," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "But it's early. Dannel Malloy has been governor for only two months. The first impression of him is decidedly mixed with many voters taking a wait and see attitude." "What explains Malloy's low approval rating? Only 32 percent approve of his handling of the budget, while 51 percent disapprove," Dr. Schwartz added. "Specifically, they think he is raising taxes too much. While voters think he is raising taxes too much on the middle class, they think he could raise taxes on the wealthy more. "Most damaging is that by a big margin, voters say Malloy is unfair to them." By a narrow 50 - 46 percent margin, voters say a tax hike is necessary to balance the budget. But voters say 54 - 18 percent that a tax hike will hurt the state economy and 69 percent say a tax hike would be a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem for their families. If public employee unions do not make concessions, Malloy should layoff state workers, voters say 50 - 44 percent. Voters in union households disagree 58 - 37 percent. Voters also support 68 - 27 percent a wage freeze for state workers and support 53 - 35 percent furloughs for state workers. Connecticut voters support 72 - 26 percent increasing cigarette taxes and 68 - 30 percent increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages, but they reject other possible tax hikes: 69 - 29 percent against hiking income taxes on anyone making more than $50,000 a year; 52 - 47 percent against increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 6.35 percent; 59 - 40 percent against expanding the sales tax to haircuts, car washes and other services; 70 - 29 percent against charging sales tax on clothing and footwear under $50; 74 - 20 percent against eliminating the $500 property tax credit on the state income tax; 82 - 17 percent against increasing the gas tax 3 cents per gallon. "Voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Malloy's proposed increases in the income tax and gas tax. They oppose eliminating the property tax credit and ending the sales tax exemption for clothes under $50," Schwartz said. "They do agree, however, with proposed increases in 'sin taxes' on alcohol and cigarettes, and with wage freezes and furloughs for state employees and - if necessary - layoffs." Connecticut voters give President Barack Obama a split 49 - 47 percent approval rating, down from 50 - 44 percent July 16, 2010. Voters disapprove 45 - 38 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is doing. In his first approval rating as a U.S. Senator, Richard Blumenthal scores a 49 - 25 percent approval. From March 1 - 7, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,693 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones. 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. For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling his job as Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 35% 21% 51% 34% 35% 35% 36% Disapprove 40 56 24 43 43 38 40 DK/NA 25 24 25 23 22 27 24 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Lieberman is handling his job as United States Senator? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 38% 54% 32% 36% 38% 39% 39% Disapprove 45 33 50 49 50 41 50 DK/NA 17 13 17 15 12 21 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Lieberman is handling his job as United States Senator? (*Low also 38% Dec 2008) APPROVE....... High Low Mar 09 Jul 16 Jun 10 Mar 17 Jan 14 Sep 21 Mar 09 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010 2000 2011* Approve 38 40 41 39 39 80 38 Disapprove 45 50 50 54 54 14 45 DK/NA 17 9 9 7 6 6 17 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Richard Blumenthal is handling his job as United States Senator? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 49% 31% 64% 49% 42% 55% 55% Disapprove 25 45 10 26 34 18 18 DK/NA 26 25 26 24 24 27 27 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 49% 15% 80% 44% 44% 53% 54% Disapprove 47 82 18 51 52 43 40 DK/NA 4 4 2 5 4 4 6 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 71% Apr 2009) APPROVE....... High Low Mar 09 Jul 16 Jun 10 Mar 17 Jan 14 May 27 Mar 09 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009* 2011 Approve 49 50 53 54 55 71 49 Disapprove 47 44 42 42 41 22 47 DK/NA 4 6 5 4 4 7 4 5. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Connecticut today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very satisfied 2% 1% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% Smwht satisfied 29 20 44 25 27 30 31 Smwht dissatisfied 35 31 35 37 35 35 35 Very dissatisfied 33 47 18 36 36 32 31 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Connecticut today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Mar 09 Jul 15 Jun 10 Mar 18 Nov 10 Oct 21 Mar 09 2011 2010 2010 2010 2009 1998 2011 Very satisfied 2 3 2 1 2 21 2 Smwht satisfied 29 38 42 39 41 62 29 Smwht dissatisfied 35 37 36 38 39 14 35 Very dissatisfied 33 22 19 20 17 3 33 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 6. What do you think is the most important problem facing Connecticut today? Tot Economy Total 43% Economy general 7 Unemployment/Jobs 32 Cost of living 2 Business leaving/ Outsourcing 2 Taxes Total 20% Taxes general 15 Property tax 2 Gas tax 1 Income Tax 1 Taxes other 1 Budget Total 19% Budget general 6 Budget cuts/Cuts in srvcs 1 Budget deficits 7 Gov too big/Gov spending 2 Budget priorities 1 State workers/Union contracts too costly 1 Budget other 1 Education Total 4% Education general 1 Funding education 2 Education other 1 Crime Total 2% Crime/Violence general 1 Crime other 1 Gas prices 1 Welfare 1 Class inequality 1 Healthcare/Costs/Ins/HMO's 1 Poor conditions roads/highways 1 Politicians/ Campaigns general 1 Other 1 7. Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about the next four years with Dannel Malloy as Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Optimistic 55% 35% 74% 53% 55% 55% 60% Pessimistic 39 58 23 39 40 38 37 DK/NA 6 7 3 8 5 7 4 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling the budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 32% 17% 46% 31% 33% 31% 32% Disapprove 51 69 39 52 52 51 49 DK/NA 16 14 15 16 15 18 19 9. Governor Malloy is holding a series of town hall style meetings across the state to discuss the state's economic and budgetary issues with the state's residents face to face - How much have you heard or read about these town hall style meetings? A lot, some, not much, or nothing at all? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds A lot 17% 13% 20% 17% 18% 15% 21% Some 35 36 29 37 36 33 35 Not much 23 23 24 23 23 24 19 Nothing at all 25 28 27 22 23 27 24 DK/NA - - - - - - - 10. Do you think these meetings are a good idea or a bad idea? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Good idea 89% 87% 92% 88% 89% 89% 94% Bad idea 7 8 5 8 8 7 4 DK/NA 4 5 2 4 3 4 2 11. How serious do you think Connecticut's budget problems are; very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not at all serious? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very serious 77% 82% 73% 76% 77% 76% 78% Smwht serious 22 18 24 23 21 22 20 Not too serious 1 - 3 - 1 1 1 Not at all serious - - - - - - - DK/NA - - - - - - 1 TREND: How serious do you think Connecticut's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not at all serious? Mar 09 Mar 10 Feb 10 Mar 13 2011 2009 2009 2003 Very serious 77 61 58 60 Smwht serious 22 34 36 35 Not too serious 1 3 3 4 Not at all serious - - - - DK/NA - 2 2 1 12. How much have you heard or read about Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget; a lot, some, not much, or nothing at all? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds A lot 39% 39% 41% 37% 42% 36% 40% Some 44 48 40 45 42 45 47 Not much 13 11 12 13 13 13 9 Nothing at all 4 2 6 4 3 5 4 DK/NA - 1 - - 1 - - 13. Do you think Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget - increases taxes too much, too little, or by about the right amount? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too much 66% 83% 50% 68% 67% 64% 62% Too little 3 1 5 3 3 4 3 About right 19 10 29 17 21 17 20 DK/NA 12 6 17 12 9 15 15 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Too much 60% 71% 67% 63% 58% 71% 69% 61% Too little 2 4 2 4 4 2 3 4 About right 22 16 22 17 16 16 20 24 DK/NA 16 9 9 15 22 11 8 11 14. Do you think Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget - cuts spending too much, too little, or by the right amount? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too much 17% 16% 21% 15% 15% 19% 20% Too little 39 55 18 45 47 32 33 About right 29 20 42 24 28 29 31 DK/NA 15 9 19 15 10 19 16 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Too much 18% 21% 16% 16% 26% 17% 17% 13% Too little 31 41 46 35 19 36 45 46 About right 32 26 26 32 29 31 28 29 DK/NA 19 12 12 17 27 15 10 12 15. Do you think Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget - increases taxes on the wealthy too much, too little, or by about the right amount? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too much 16% 34% 5% 16% 20% 13% 9% Too little 48 29 61 48 46 49 59 About right 24 25 22 25 27 22 21 DK/NA 12 12 12 11 8 16 11 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Too much 16% 16% 16% 16% 12% 11% 13% 23% Too little 44 51 53 40 46 56 53 39 About right 24 22 20 31 23 21 26 27 DK/NA 16 11 11 12 18 13 8 11 16. Do you think Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget - increases taxes on the middle class too much, too little, or by about the right amount? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too much 68% 76% 58% 73% 68% 69% 72% Too little 1 - 2 1 1 1 - About right 21 19 27 17 24 18 17 DK/NA 10 5 13 9 7 12 10 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Too much 58% 73% 71% 69% 62% 77% 72% 61% Too little 1 2 1 1 3 - 1 1 About right 26 17 20 22 19 15 22 28 DK/NA 15 8 8 9 16 8 6 10 17. Do you think Governor Malloy's plan to balance the state's budget - asks state employees to make wage and benefit concessions that are too much, too little, or about the right amount? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too much 25% 21% 35% 20% 22% 27% 39% Too little 25 35 13 28 31 20 14 About right 36 35 36 37 37 36 29 DK/NA 14 9 16 14 10 17 18 18. Do you think the public employee unions will agree to Governor Malloy's proposed state employee concessions or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 19% 14% 25% 18% 20% 18% 24% No 66 78 56 68 67 66 58 DK/NA 14 9 20 14 12 16 18 19. If the public employee unions do not agree to Governor Malloy's proposed state employee concessions, do you think Governor Malloy should layoff state workers or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 50% 64% 33% 57% 60% 42% 37% No 44 32 60 39 36 51 58 DK/NA 5 4 7 4 4 7 5 20. Do you think Governor Malloy's proposals to balance the state budget next year are fair or unfair to people like you? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Fair 31% 25% 41% 28% 34% 28% 27% Unfair 56 65 45 59 55 57 57 DK/NA 13 10 14 13 11 15 16 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Fair 37% 27% 30% 33% 26% 23% 30% 45% Unfair 50 62 57 53 54 63 61 45 DK/NA 14 11 12 14 20 14 9 10 21. Do you think an increase in taxes is necessary to balance the budget or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 50% 40% 63% 49% 50% 50% 54% No 46 59 32 46 46 45 39 DK/NA 4 1 5 5 4 4 7 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes 52% 49% 51% 50% 43% 50% 51% 55% No 44 47 47 42 48 47 45 42 DK/NA 4 4 2 8 9 2 4 3 TREND: Do you think an increase in taxes is necessary to balance the budget or not? Mar 09 Jul 22 Mar 10 2011 2009 2009 Yes 50 48 32 No 46 45 63 DK/NA 4 7 5 22. Do you think that Governor Malloy's tax hikes will help Connecticut's economy, hurt Connecticut's economy, or not make a difference? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Help 18% 9% 29% 15% 17% 19% 20% Hurt 54 72 36 56 58 50 46 No difference 23 16 29 23 21 25 26 DK/NA 5 3 6 6 4 7 8 23. Do you approve or disapprove of - raising the income tax on anyone making more than $50,000 a year? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 29% 16% 41% 27% 27% 31% 27% Disapprove 69 83 59 70 72 67 71 DK/NA 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Approve 26% 30% 28% 32% 43% 36% 23% 23% Disapprove 73 69 71 65 55 63 76 75 DK/NA - 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 24. Do you approve or disapprove of - raising the sales tax from 6% to 6.3% Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 47% 40% 55% 46% 48% 46% 54% Disapprove 52 59 43 53 51 53 44 DK/NA 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Approve 43% 46% 50% 47% 39% 46% 50% 52% Disapprove 56 53 48 51 57 52 49 47 DK/NA 1 2 2 1 4 2 1 1 25. Do you approve or disapprove of - applying the sales tax to currently exempt services, such as haircuts and car washes? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 40% 40% 47% 36% 44% 37% 45% Disapprove 59 59 51 62 55 62 55 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 - AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Approve 40% 43% 43% 33% 32% 33% 41% 52% Disapprove 60 55 56 65 67 65 58 47 DK/NA - 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 26. Do you approve or disapprove of - applying the sales tax to clothing and footwear that costs less than $50? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 29% 24% 37% 26% 28% 29% 32% Disapprove 70 75 62 73 70 70 65 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 2 - 3 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Approve 30% 32% 29% 25% 20% 22% 31% 40% Disapprove 70 67 70 73 77 75 69 60 DK/NA - 1 1 2 2 3 - - 27. Do you approve or disapprove of - raising the cigarette tax from $3 a pack to $3.40 a pack? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 72% 66% 77% 72% 67% 76% 74% Disapprove 26 32 22 26 31 22 23 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 2 1 3 28. Do you approve or disapprove of - increasing the gasoline tax 3 cents a gallon? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 17% 11% 24% 15% 20% 15% 18% Disapprove 82 89 75 85 79 85 80 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 - 2 29. Do you approve or disapprove of - increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 68% 64% 78% 65% 61% 74% 71% Disapprove 30 35 21 32 37 23 27 DK/NA 2 2 1 3 1 2 2 30. Do you approve or disapprove of - eliminating the $500 property tax credit on the state income tax? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 20% 18% 22% 18% 21% 19% 19% Disapprove 74 79 68 77 76 73 77 DK/NA 6 3 10 5 4 9 4 31. Do you approve or disapprove of - taxing goods and services on their original cost rather than the discounted cost that a coupon or sales promotion offers? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 19% 18% 22% 18% 21% 18% 19% Disapprove 77 80 74 79 76 78 74 DK/NA 3 2 5 3 3 3 6 32. Do you approve or disapprove of - a wage freeze for state workers? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 68% 76% 57% 72% 74% 64% 58% Disapprove 27 20 36 25 22 32 38 DK/NA 5 4 6 3 4 5 4 33. Do you approve or disapprove of - furloughs for state employees? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 53% 59% 46% 57% 56% 52% 51% Disapprove 35 30 41 34 34 35 40 DK/NA 12 11 13 9 10 13 9 34. How much of a problem would Governor Malloy's tax increases be for you and your family - a very serious problem, a somewhat serious problem, a not too serious problem, or not a problem at all? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very serious 24% 25% 23% 22% 22% 26% 24% Smwht serious 45 49 40 48 41 48 44 Not too serious 23 21 27 23 28 19 20 Nt a problem 6 3 8 6 8 5 9 DK/NA 1 - 2 1 1 1 2 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Very serious 19% 29% 26% 21% 39% 27% 22% 13% Smwht serious 49 40 48 44 35 49 50 44 Not too serious 24 24 20 25 15 16 24 34 Nt a problem 8 4 6 9 7 8 3 10 DK/NA 1 2 - 1 3 - 1 - 35. As a result of Governor Malloy's tax increase package, how likely are you to move out of the state - very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not likely at all? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very likely, 11% 13% 11% 10% 12% 11% 12% Smwht likely, 17 20 12 18 18 15 14 Not too likely 20 22 19 21 18 21 19 Not at all 52 45 57 51 52 52 54 DK/NA 1 - 1 - - 1 1 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Very likely, 12% 11% 13% 9% 14% 10% 9% 10% Smwht likely, 20 19 16 10 10 19 19 17 Not too likely 23 23 18 14 20 21 21 17 Not at all 45 47 53 66 54 50 50 55 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 2 - 1 - 36. Do you think that Governor Malloy's increase in income taxes for wealthier residents would lead them to move out of Connecticut or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 33% 51% 20% 33% 37% 30% 29% No 62 45 76 62 60 64 67 DK/NA 5 4 4 5 4 5 5 AGE..................... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes 33% 32% 29% 41% 32% 36% 27% 36% No 65 64 65 54 61 60 70 60 DK/NA 2 3 6 6 7 4 3 4
