April 25, 2012 - Connecticut Voters Split On Death Or Life Without Parole, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Voters Say Abolishing Death Penalty Is Bad Idea Word format While Connecticut voters support the death penalty in general 62 - 30 percent, they are evenly divided on the preferred punishment for a person convicted of murder, as 46 percent want the death penalty while 46 percent want life in prison with no chance of parole, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. When half of the voters in the survey are asked if the State Legislature's decision to abolish the death penalty is a "good idea" or "bad idea," they say "bad idea" 60 - 34 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. When the other half of voters are asked about abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with life in prison with no chance of parole, they say "bad idea" 54 - 42 percent. Voters who attend religious services weekly say "good idea" 50 - 46 percent. Voters who attend services less frequently say "bad idea" 58 - 38 percent. In deciding what to do with inmates currently on Connecticut's Death Row: 49 percent of voters say do not abolish the death penalty at all; 25 percent say abolish the death penalty for all cases, including those on Death Row; 21 percent say abolish the death penalty only for future cases, not for current convicts. A total of 37 percent of Connecticut voters say a legislator's death penalty vote will be "extremely important" or "very important" to their vote in November's legislative elections, and most of them are less likely to vote for a legislator who voted to abolish the death penalty. "The death penalty is a complex issue for voters, and for pollsters," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "Connecticut voters want to keep the death penalty, perhaps as an option for the most heinous crimes, such as the Cheshire murders." "While they want to keep the death penalty on the books, voters are divided on whether they prefer to sentence convicted murderers to death or life without parole. In fact, 74 percent say a life or death sentence depends on the circumstances of the case," Dr. Schwartz added. "A simple yes-no question on the death penalty suggests voters want it as an option. Adding the life without parole option shows that voters are more lenient when it comes to administering punishment." Connecticut voters disapprove 49 - 32 percent of the job the State Legislature is doing, compared to 50 - 35 percent disapproval in a March 21 Quinnipiac University survey, before the death penalty repeal. Voters disapprove 44 - 37 percent of the job Gov. Dannel Malloy is doing, compared to a 45 - 44 percent split March 21, Malloy's best score since he took office in January 2011. Minimum Wage Connecticut voters support 70 - 28 percent raising the $8.25 per hour minimum wage. Support is 88 - 10 percent among Democrats and 69 - 28 percent among independent voters, while Republicans are divided 48 - 50 percent. Women support a hike 74 - 24 percent while men support it 65 - 33 percent. Given several choices on the minimum wage: 34 percent of voters want to raise it to $9.25 per hour; 6 percent want to raise it to something less than $9.25 per hour; 27 percent want to raise it to more than $9.25 per hour; 28 percent want no increase. Voters think 50 - 45 percent that small businesses will reduce the number of people they hire if the minimum wage is increased. Women agree 51 - 43 percent while men are divided 49 - 48 percent. A higher minimum wage will mean less hiring, Republicans think 65 - 32 percent and independent voters think 51 - 43 percent. Democrats don't think there will be less hiring 57 - 36 percent. "Every group, except Republicans, supports increasing Connecticut's minimum wage. Although all income groups support a higher minimum wage, support declines with income," said Dr. Schwartz. From April 18 - 23, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,745 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, Virginia, 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? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 37% 19% 51% 39% 40% 35% Disapprove 44 64 32 41 45 43 DK/NA 19 18 17 20 15 22 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 43% 32% 38% 40% 30% 53% Disapprove 33 49 49 41 54 27 DK/NA 24 19 13 18 17 20 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling his job as Governor? Apr 25 Mar 21 Sep 15 Jun 15 Mar 09 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 Approve 37 44 41 38 35 Disapprove 44 45 48 44 40 DK/NA 19 11 11 18 25 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 32% 17% 46% 31% 33% 31% Disapprove 49 68 31 50 53 44 DK/NA 20 15 23 20 14 24 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 38% 28% 31% 31% 26% 46% Disapprove 36 52 53 48 57 32 DK/NA 26 20 15 20 16 22 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? APPROVE....... High Low Apr 25 Mar 21 Sep 15 Jun 15 Jul 16 Jun 03 Sep 15 2012 2012 2011 2011 2010 2004 2011 Approve 32 35 27 33 28 48 27 Disapprove 49 50 57 50 58 33 57 DK/NA 20 15 16 17 14 19 16 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Lieberman is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 45% 54% 32% 51% 45% 45% Disapprove 41 33 55 37 46 38 DK/NA 13 14 13 12 9 17 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 46% 49% 44% 46% 50% 37% Disapprove 37 37 46 44 37 52 DK/NA 18 14 10 10 14 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 Apr 25 Mar 22 Sep 16 Jun 15 Mar 09 Sep 21 Mar 09 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 2000 2011* Approve 45 51 51 41 38 80 38 Disapprove 41 38 40 45 45 14 45 DK/NA 13 11 10 14 17 6 17 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Richard Blumenthal is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 58% 36% 78% 57% 52% 63% Disapprove 27 49 8 27 34 21 DK/NA 15 15 14 16 14 17 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 52% 54% 62% 62% 52% 71% Disapprove 23 32 28 25 34 13 DK/NA 25 14 11 13 14 16 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Richard Blumenthal is handling his job as United States Senator? Apr 25 Mar 22 Sep 16 Jun 15 Mar 09 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 Approve 58 64 60 54 49 Disapprove 27 23 23 25 25 DK/NA 15 14 17 21 26 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 49% 11% 86% 45% 43% 54% Disapprove 47 87 12 49 55 41 DK/NA 4 3 3 6 3 5 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 59% 47% 49% 45% 39% 68% Disapprove 36 49 49 50 57 28 DK/NA 5 4 3 5 4 4 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 Apr 25 Mar 22 Sep 16 Jun 15 Mar 09 May 27 Sep 16 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 2009* 2011 Approve 49 53 48 53 49 71 48 Disapprove 47 43 48 44 47 22 48 DK/NA 4 4 4 3 4 7 4 6. 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? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very satisfied 2% 1% 3% 1% 2% 2% Smwht satisfied 37 21 55 34 37 37 Smwht dissatisfied 33 35 27 38 33 34 Very dissatisfied 27 44 15 26 27 27 DK/NA 1 - - 2 2 1 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Very satisfied 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 3% Smwht satisfied 45 36 33 38 28 53 Smwht dissatisfied 32 33 32 35 36 30 Very dissatisfied 19 28 34 24 34 13 DK/NA 3 - - 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 Apr 25 Sep 15 Jun 15 Mar 09 Jul 15 Oct 21 Sep 15 2012 2011 2011 2011 2010 1998 2011 Very satisfied 2 2 4 2 3 21 2 Smwht satisfied 37 27 30 29 38 62 27 Smwht dissatisfied 33 39 32 35 37 14 39 Very dissatisfied 27 32 35 33 22 3 32 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 7. Regardless of how you feel about Dannel Malloy's policies, would you say you like or don't like Dannel Malloy as a person? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Like 47% 37% 63% 42% 49% 45% Don't Like 17 24 12 17 16 17 DK/NA 37 39 25 42 36 37 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Like 51% 46% 47% 48% 43% 55% Don't Like 17 16 19 16 19 10 DK/NA 33 38 34 36 37 34 TREND: Regardless of how you feel about Dannel Malloy's policies, would you say you like or don't like Dannel Malloy as a person? Apr 25 Sep 15 Jun 15 2012 2011 2011 Like 47 45 48 Don't Like 17 23 18 DK/NA 37 33 34 8. And regardless of how you feel about Dannel Malloy as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Dannel Malloy's policies? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Like 37% 19% 55% 35% 37% 36% Don't Like 48 69 32 47 49 47 DK/NA 16 12 13 18 14 17 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Like 42% 34% 36% 37% 29% 54% Don't Like 37 51 52 47 56 32 DK/NA 21 15 12 16 16 14 TREND: And regardless of how you feel about Dannel Malloy as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Dannel Malloy's policies? Apr 25 Sep 15 Jun 15 2012 2011 2011 Like 37 36 37 Don't Like 48 50 50 DK/NA 16 14 13 9. 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 19 12 29 17 22 17 Not so good 51 51 53 50 51 52 Poor 28 37 17 31 26 31 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Excellent - - - - - - - - - Good 31 17 15 19 24 16 20 17 23 Not so good 50 53 50 53 54 49 49 51 52 Poor 18 29 34 27 21 33 30 31 24 DK/NA 1 - - 1 1 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 Apr 25 Jun 15 Jul 23 Feb 10 Dec 17 Dec 20 Feb 10 2012 2011 2009 2009 2008 2001 2009 Excellent - - - - - 3 - Good 19 15 13 6 11 51 6 Not so good 51 48 57 53 62 38 53 Poor 28 35 28 39 26 7 39 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 10. During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in Connecticut will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Get better 28% 17% 43% 21% 29% 26% Get worse 19 24 9 22 19 18 Stay the same 52 56 47 54 50 54 DK/NA 2 3 1 2 1 2 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Get better 29% 25% 27% 31% 32% 24% 27% 22% 30% Get worse 14 21 22 12 15 21 19 19 19 Stay the same 56 53 50 54 51 53 52 57 51 DK/NA 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in Connecticut will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? GET BETTER... High Low Apr 25 Jun 15 Jul 23 Jul 01 Apr 07 Nov 21 Jul 01 2012 2011 2009 2008 2005 2003 2008 Get better 28 25 31 12 22 38 12 Get worse 19 28 20 44 23 13 44 Stay the same 52 44 46 39 51 47 39 DK/NA 2 3 3 5 4 2 5 11. 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 6% 8% 6% 4% 6% 6% Good 54 58 54 54 56 52 Not so good 28 26 31 26 28 29 Poor 10 6 8 14 7 13 DK/NA 2 2 1 1 3 1 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Excellent 7% 6% 6% 5% 9% 4% 2% 4% 15% Good 59 57 49 54 65 47 38 61 69 Not so good 23 25 32 29 19 34 37 28 14 Poor 8 10 12 9 6 13 22 5 2 DK/NA 3 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 - TREND: Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Apr 25 Jun 15 Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 Apr 23 2012 2011 2009 2009 2008 2001 2001 Excellent 6 7 4 4 5 11 10 Good 54 53 52 44 48 65 63 Not so good 28 27 32 35 34 18 20 Poor 10 12 11 15 12 5 6 DK/NA 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 12. 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 31% 28% 40% 25% 33% 29% Worse off 41 48 31 44 40 42 SAME(VOL) 27 23 28 29 27 28 DK/NA 1 - 1 2 1 1 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Better off 48% 37% 27% 19% 38% 26% 25% 31% 42% Worse off 28 40 47 42 34 46 47 43 33 SAME(VOL) 22 23 26 38 27 27 28 25 24 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 2 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 Apr 25 Jun 15 Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Nov 24 Feb 11 2012 2011 2009 2009 2008 2004 2009 Better off 31 32 20 18 22 40 18 Worse off 41 45 56 60 58 32 60 SAME(VOL) 27 22 23 21 18 26 21 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13. 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 25% 23% 29% 24% 28% 22% Get worse 14 17 7 15 13 14 Stay the same 60 59 63 59 57 62 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 2 1 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Get better 47% 24% 26% 11% 26% 24% 26% 23% 31% Get worse 8 13 14 15 12 15 16 12 12 Stay the same 44 61 59 72 61 59 57 63 57 DK/NA 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Apr 25 Jun 15 Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 2012 2011 2009 2009 2008 2001 Get better 25 27 27 24 25 33 Get worse 14 19 16 20 18 7 Stay the same 60 52 54 51 53 58 DK/NA 2 2 2 5 4 2 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling the - budget? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 31% 16% 47% 29% 34% 28% Disapprove 54 73 39 55 54 55 DK/NA 15 12 14 16 12 17 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Approve 30% 26% 34% 34% 35% 29% 34% 29% 31% Disapprove 51 60 57 48 52 56 51 59 55 DK/NA 19 14 9 17 14 15 16 12 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling the budget? Apr 25 Sep 15 Jun 15 Mar 09 2012 2011 2011 2011 Approve 31 36 36 32 Disapprove 54 55 52 51 DK/NA 15 9 13 16 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling - education? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 38% 26% 47% 38% 39% 37% Disapprove 43 52 37 41 40 45 DK/NA 20 22 16 21 21 18 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Approve 36% 38% 39% 39% 39% 37% 43% 34% 35% Disapprove 41 43 44 40 42 43 38 47 46 DK/NA 23 19 16 21 19 20 19 19 19 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling education? Apr 25 Mar 21 2012 2012 Approve 38 36 Disapprove 43 41 DK/NA 20 23 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling - taxes? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 25% 9% 39% 24% 29% 22% Disapprove 64 83 50 63 61 66 DK/NA 11 8 10 13 10 12 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Approve 22% 22% 27% 30% 30% 22% 26% 23% 27% Disapprove 59 68 67 59 60 67 63 67 61 DK/NA 20 9 6 11 11 11 11 10 12 17. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dannel Malloy is handling the - economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 31% 16% 45% 30% 34% 29% Disapprove 56 73 41 58 55 57 DK/NA 13 11 13 13 11 15 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Approve 36% 27% 32% 34% 35% 29% 34% 29% 29% Disapprove 49 61 60 50 51 59 55 61 55 DK/NA 15 12 9 15 13 12 12 10 16 18. Do you approve or disapprove of - Dannel Malloy's handling of the death penalty? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 33% 17% 52% 30% 33% 33% Disapprove 47 65 31 48 49 45 DK/NA 20 19 17 23 17 23 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 36% 28% 35% 35% 15% 72% Disapprove 36 52 50 45 68 11 DK/NA 28 19 15 20 18 17 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Approve 31% 29% 33% 33% Disapprove 48 55 46 47 DK/NA 21 17 21 19 19. Do you approve or disapprove of the - state legislature's handling of the death penalty? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 29% 15% 44% 27% 29% 29% Disapprove 51 66 38 53 55 48 DK/NA 20 19 18 20 15 23 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Approve 31% 27% 31% 29% 13% 65% Disapprove 38 55 54 52 71 15 DK/NA 31 19 14 19 16 20 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Approve 26% 25% 29% 30% Disapprove 52 60 53 50 DK/NA 22 14 18 20 20. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favor 62% 79% 46% 63% 63% 61% Oppose 30 14 46 29 31 30 DK/NA 8 7 7 8 6 9 AGE IN YRS.............. 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor 59% 66% 63% 59% Oppose 34 27 30 33 DK/NA 7 7 7 8 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Favor 60% 69% 59% 63% Oppose 30 25 33 29 DK/NA 10 6 8 8 TREND: Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? FAVOR........ High Low Apr 25 Mar 10 Oct 13 Nov 07 Jan 12 Mar 10 Jan 12 2012 2011 2010 2007 2005 2011 2005 Favor 62 67 65 63 59 67 59 Oppose 30 28 23 27 31 28 31 DK/NA 8 5 12 10 10 5 10 21. Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder, the death penalty, or life in prison with no chance of parole? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Death Penalty 46% 61% 34% 45% 45% 46% Life/No Parole 46 31 61 45 46 46 DK/NA 8 8 5 9 8 9 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Death Penalty 37% 48% 47% 47% 71% 2% Life/No Parole 56 42 45 45 20 97 DK/NA 7 9 9 7 9 1 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Death Penalty 47% 53% 44% 47% Life/No Parole 45 39 49 45 DK/NA 8 8 7 8 TREND: Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder, the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole? DEATH PENALTY High Low Apr 25 Mar 10 Oct 13 Nov 07 Jan 12 Mar 10 Jan 12 2012 2011 2010 2007 2005 2011 2005 Death Penalty 46 48 46 47 37 48 37 Life/No Parole 46 43 41 44 49 43 49 DK/NA 8 9 14 9 14 9 14 22. Which statement comes closest to your point of view? (A) All persons convicted of murder should get the death penalty. (B) No one convicted of murder should get the death penalty. OR (C) Whether or not someone convicted of murder gets the death penalty should depend on the circumstances of the case. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom (A) All 7% 12% 3% 5% 7% 6% (B) No one 18 7 29 16 18 18 (C) Depends 74 80 66 77 74 75 DK/NA 1 1 2 1 1 2 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose (A) All 6% 5% 5% 9% 10% 1% (B) No one 19 15 19 18 1 57 (C) Depends 76 79 75 70 89 42 DK/NA - 1 1 2 - 1 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less (A) All 6% 9% 8% 6% (B) No one 16 14 19 17 (C) Depends 76 77 71 76 DK/NA 2 1 2 1 TREND: Which statement comes closest to your point of view? (A) All persons convicted of murder should get the death penalty. (B) No one convicted of murder should get the death penalty. (C) Whether or not someone convicted of murder gets the death penalty should depend on the circumstances of the case. Apr 25 Mar 10 Oct 13 Jan 12 Apr 23 Jun 22 2012 2011 2010 2005 2001 2000 (A) All 7 10 7 6 8 9 (B) No one 18 16 14 20 15 16 (C) Depends 74 73 78 73 76 73 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 2 23. (Split Sample A) The state legislature has passed a bill to abolish the death penalty. Do you think abolishing the death penalty in Connecticut is a good idea or a bad idea? (* Subgroup size less than 75, additional caution should be taken when interpreting findings of this group because of the large margin of error) Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Good idea 34% 13% 49% 35% 35% 33% Bad idea 60 82 47 59 58 62 DK/NA 6 5 4 5 7 5 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34* 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Good idea 44% 28% 32% 36% 8% 90% Bad idea 52 64 65 57 88 7 DK/NA 4 8 3 7 3 2 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Good idea 33% 24% 31% 35% Bad idea 60 71 62 61 DK/NA 7 5 7 5 TREND: The state legislature has passed a bill to abolish the death penalty. Do you think abolishing the death penalty in Connecticut is a good idea or a bad idea? (*Intro: "There is a proposal in the state legislature to abolish the death penalty") Apr 25 Mar 21 2012 2012* Good idea 34 31 Bad idea 60 62 DK/NA 6 7 24. (Split Sample B) The state legislature has passed a bill to abolish the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Do you think abolishing the death penalty in Connecticut and replacing it with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole is a good idea or a bad idea? (* Subgroup size less than 75, additional caution should be taken when interpreting findings of this group because of the large margin of error) Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Good idea 42% 27% 60% 39% 41% 42% Bad idea 54 72 35 57 55 53 DK/NA 4 1 5 4 3 5 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34* 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Good idea 47% 36% 40% 45% 16% 94% Bad idea 47 61 56 49 82 4 DK/NA 6 3 4 7 3 2 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Good idea 42% 38% 50% 38% Bad idea 53 58 46 58 DK/NA 5 4 4 4 25. The bill would abolish the death penalty only for future cases. Those who are currently on death row would still be executed. Which comes closest to your point of view; the death penalty should not be abolished, the death penalty should be abolished but only for future cases, OR the death penalty should be abolished for all cases including those already on death row? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Do not abolish 49% 68% 33% 50% 51% 48% Abolish future cases 21 15 27 22 19 23 Abolish all cases 25 14 36 24 26 23 DK/NA 4 3 4 5 3 5 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Do not abolish 46% 55% 53% 44% 75% 5% Abolish future cases 25 19 20 23 15 33 Abolish all cases 26 21 24 28 8 60 DK/NA 4 4 3 5 3 3 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Do not abolish 48% 56% 45% 52% Abolish future cases 21 20 24 20 Abolish all cases 26 21 27 24 DK/NA 5 3 4 4 26. State legislative elections are coming up in November. How important will the way your legislator voted on abolishing the death penalty be to your vote for state legislator in November; extremely important, very important, somewhat important, or not important? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Extremely important 14% 18% 13% 11% 15% 13% Very important 23 24 22 24 20 26 Somewhat important 45 44 47 44 46 44 Not important 17 12 18 19 19 15 DK/NA 1 1 - 2 1 1 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose Extremely important 8% 16% 14% 15% 17% 10% Very important 19 19 22 30 27 17 Somewhat important 54 42 48 40 43 52 Not important 19 22 15 13 12 21 DK/NA - 1 1 2 1 1 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less Extremely important 12% 17% 15% 13% Very important 25 24 26 22 Somewhat important 42 45 43 46 Not important 18 13 13 19 DK/NA 3 1 3 - 27. If your state legislator voted to abolish the death penalty, would that make you more likely to vote for that legislator, less likely to vote for that legislator, or wouldn't it make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom More likely 16% 9% 26% 14% 17% 16% Less likely 34 56 20 31 38 32 No difference 46 31 52 51 44 48 DK/NA 3 3 2 3 1 4 AGE IN YRS.............. DEATH PENALTY Q20 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Favor Oppose More likely 20% 15% 15% 16% 7% 40% Less likely 33 40 35 30 53 2 No difference 47 42 48 48 37 57 DK/NA - 3 2 5 3 1 ATTEND SERVICES Prot Cath Weekly Less More likely 17% 14% 19% 15% Less likely 35 37 35 35 No difference 45 46 42 48 DK/NA 3 3 4 2 28. Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in Connecticut, which is now $8.25 an hour? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Support 70% 48% 88% 69% 65% 74% Oppose 28 50 10 28 33 24 DK/NA 2 2 2 3 2 2 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Support 71% 71% 74% 64% 63% 74% 78% 70% 59% Oppose 26 28 25 33 34 24 21 27 40 DK/NA 2 1 1 3 3 2 1 2 1 29. (If support q28) Do you think that the minimum wage should be $9.25 an hour, should be less than $9.25 an hour, or should be more than $9.25 an hour? (* Subgroup size less than 75, additional caution should be taken when interpreting findings of this group because of the large margin of error) SUPPORT INCREASE Q28....................................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Exactly $9.25 48% 47% 47% 52% 46% 51% Less than $9.25 9 11 8 8 10 9 More than $9.25 38 37 41 37 39 38 DK/NA 4 4 5 3 6 3 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34* 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Exactly $9.25 55% 42% 48% 53% 50% 48% 47% 48% 48% Less than $9.25 8 7 10 10 10 8 9 8 12 More than $9.25 34 46 39 33 35 40 40 41 35 DK/NA 2 5 3 4 5 4 3 3 5 29a. (COMBINED Q28 & Q29) Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in Connecticut, which is now $8.25 an hour? IF SUPPORT: Do you think that the minimum wage should be $9.25 an hour, should be less than $9.25 an hour, or should be more than $9.25 an hour? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Increase to $9.25 34% 23% 41% 36% 29% 37% Increase < $9.25 6 5 7 6 6 6 Increase > $9.25 27 18 36 26 25 28 Oppose increase 28 50 10 28 33 24 DK/NA 5 4 6 5 6 4 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Increase to $9.25 39% 30% 35% 34% 31% 35% 37% 34% 28% Increase < $9.25 6 5 7 6 7 6 7 5 7 Increase > $9.25 24 32 29 21 22 30 31 29 21 Oppose increase 26 28 25 33 34 24 21 27 40 DK/NA 4 5 4 6 6 4 4 5 4 30. Do you think small businesses will reduce the number of people they hire if the minimum wage is raised, or don't you think so? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 50% 65% 36% 51% 49% 51% No 45 32 57 43 48 43 DK/NA 5 3 6 6 4 6 AGE IN YRS.............. COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HsHOLD INC 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K Yes 58% 45% 47% 51% 51% 49% 49% 50% 53% No 38 50 51 42 45 45 45 46 42 DK/NA 4 5 3 7 4 6 5 5 4 Demographic Summary
