May 25, 2011 - Florida Voters Turn Thumbs Down On Gov. Scott 2-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Property Insurance Is Getting Worse Word format Florida voters disapprove 57 - 29 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing, the worst score of any governor in the states surveyed by Quinnipiac University and down from a 48 - 35 percent disapproval in an April 6 survey, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. The state's new budget is unfair to people like them, voters tell the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll 54 - 29 percent. Gov. Scott and the State Legislature are equally responsible for the budget, 68 percent of voters say. The legislature's job approval rating is nearly identical to that of the governor, as voters disapprove 56 - 27 percent, compared to 47 - 35 percent disapproval in April. Despite the new property insurance law signed by the governor, voters say securing insurance is getting harder and more expensive. "Voters have turned even more negative on Gov. Rick Scott since the last Quinnipiac University survey," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "It probably doesn't make him feel any better that the State Legislature is sharing the basement suite in the eyes of the electorate. The good news for the governor is that he has three and a half years to turn public opinion around. " Even Scott's support among Republicans is relatively weak, with 51 percent of GOP voters approving and 37 percent disapproving of his job performance. Disapproval is 72 - 13 percent among Democrats and 57 - 28 percent among independent voters. Both sexes are down on Scott: Men disapprove 53 - 35 percent and women disapprove 60 - 24 percent. "The data on the perceived fairness of the governor's budget is crucial. When voters by almost 2-1 say his approach is unfair to them, that's a giant flashing political warning sign for Scott," said Brown. "When voters don't think they are being treated fairly, they tend to react negatively." On that question Democrats say the budget is unfair 68 - 18 percent, and independent voters say unfair 52 - 30 percent, while Republicans say it is fair 47 - 38 percent. Men say unfair 48 - 38 percent; women say unfair 60 - 22 percent. Asked about the cuts in state spending contained in the budget, 47 percent say they go too far, while 18 percent say not far enough and 22 percent say they are about right. And by 38 - 23 percent voters think those cuts will hurt, rather than help, Florida's economy. Voters split 42 - 40 percent on whether they think Scott kept his promise not to raise taxes. On insurance, 63 percent say property insurance is getting more difficult to obtain in Florida and 3 percent say it is getting easier. One in four voters, 26 percent, say there has been no change. An even larger share, 74 percent, say property insurance is getting more expensive in Florida, as 3 percent say it is getting less expensive and 16 percent say there has been no change. This frustration with the insurance market for consumers leads 59 percent of voters to call for more government regulation of property insurance in the state, while 29 percent say the state is doing enough. "Whether the new law changes public attitudes about insurance in Florida, only time will tell, but there is no doubt that the electorate sees a crying need for something to make getting and paying for property insurance in Florida less onerous," said Brown. From May 17 - 23, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,196 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, 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. 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Rick Scott is handling his job as governor? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 29% 51% 13% 28% 35% 24% 48% Disapprove 57 37 72 57 53 60 37 DK/NA 14 12 15 15 12 16 15 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Approve 34% 28% 34% 36% 19% 64% 10% Disapprove 54 63 53 51 60 25 81 DK/NA 12 9 13 13 21 11 9 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Rick Scott is handling his job as Governor? May 25 Apr 6 Feb 2 2011 2011 2011 Approve 29 35 35 Disapprove 57 48 22 DK/NA 14 17 43 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 27% 43% 18% 21% 31% 24% 32% Disapprove 56 40 64 61 57 55 52 DK/NA 17 16 17 17 12 21 16 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Approve 30% 33% 27% 25% 21% 51% 15% Disapprove 56 55 55 52 59 36 74 DK/NA 14 12 18 23 20 13 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? APPROVE....... High Low May 25 Apr 6 Aug 19 Jul 30 Jun 9 Sep 23 May 25 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2004 2011 Approve 27 35 30 30 30 51 27 Disapprove 56 47 56 54 53 34 56 DK/NA 17 18 14 17 18 15 17 10. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Florida today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Very satisfied 3% 6% 1% 2% 3% 2% 4% Smwht satisfied 36 46 32 32 36 36 46 Smwht dissatisfied 32 30 30 35 33 30 29 Very dissatisfied 29 16 36 30 27 30 20 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Very satisfied 2% 2% 2% 8% 2% Smwht satisfied 39 35 39 34 31 Smwht dissatisfied 31 30 28 39 35 Very dissatisfied 27 30 31 17 31 DK/NA - 2 1 2 1 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Florida today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied? (*combined High also 63% Sep 2004) VERY+SMWHT.... High Low May 25 Apr 6 Feb 02 Jun 09 Apr 15 Feb 24 Apr 10 2011 2011 2011 2009 2009 2005* 2008 Very satisfied 3 3 3 6 3 15 5 Smwht satisfied 36 36 44 45 43 48 32 Smwht dissatisfied 32 34 34 33 34 22 34 Very dissatisfied 29 26 19 15 19 15 28 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Rick Scott is handling the state budget? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 30% 54% 11% 33% 36% 25% 53% Disapprove 59 38 77 56 56 61 39 DK/NA 11 8 12 11 7 14 7 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Approve 39% 35% 31% 34% 19% 74% 7% Disapprove 55 58 60 54 63 22 86 DK/NA 7 7 9 11 18 4 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Rick Scott is handling the state budget? May 25 Apr 06 2011 2011 Approve 30 36 Disapprove 59 55 DK/NA 11 9 17. How much have you heard or read about the new state budget agreed to by Governor Scott and the state legislature? A lot, some, not much, or nothing at all? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl A lot 24% 24% 26% 20% 22% 25% 26% Some 44 44 43 45 45 44 53 Not much 22 23 22 22 23 21 17 Nothing at all 10 8 8 12 9 10 2 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair A lot 25% 26% 21% 28% 22% 22% 30% Some 46 45 43 44 44 55 45 Not much 17 24 25 22 19 20 16 Nothing at all 11 5 10 5 14 2 8 DK/NA - - 1 1 1 1 - 18. Do you approve or disapprove of the state budget agreed to by Governor Scott and the state legislature? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 24% 45% 11% 25% 29% 20% 39% Disapprove 53 33 68 53 51 56 43 DK/NA 23 22 21 22 20 24 18 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Approve 28% 27% 26% 29% 16% 63% 6% Disapprove 51 56 50 53 57 23 79 DK/NA 21 17 24 18 27 14 15 19. Who do you think is most responsible for the new state budget - Governor Scott, or the state legislature, or are they equally responsible? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Scott 16% 23% 14% 14% 16% 17% 16% State legislature 11 12 9 14 16 8 13 Equally responsible 68 63 73 67 64 72 69 DK/NA 4 2 3 5 4 3 2 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Scott 18% 18% 18% 13% 14% 17% 19% State legislature 14 10 14 12 7 16 9 Equally responsible 64 69 65 74 73 66 70 DK/NA 3 3 3 2 6 1 3 20. Do you think the new state budget is fair or unfair to people like you? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Fair 29% 47% 18% 30% 38% 22% 41% Unfair 54 38 68 52 48 60 44 DK/NA 16 15 14 18 14 18 14 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair 36% 30% 33% 37% 19% Unfair 52 57 50 48 61 DK/NA 12 13 18 15 20 21. What do you think about the cuts in state spending in the new budget? Do you think the cuts in state spending go too far, not far enough or are they about right? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Too far 47% 29% 65% 42% 40% 53% 34% Not far enough 18 20 11 23 23 14 21 About right 22 37 12 22 28 17 35 DK/NA 13 13 12 13 9 16 10 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Too far 42% 49% 46% 45% 52% 17% 70% Not far enough 21 22 16 24 13 25 15 About right 23 22 26 25 17 53 7 DK/NA 15 7 12 7 19 5 8 22. Do you think that the new spending cuts will help Florida's economy, hurt Florida's economy, or not make a difference? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Help 23% 46% 5% 25% 29% 18% 44% Hurt 38 24 53 34 34 42 27 No difference 31 23 34 34 30 31 20 DK/NA 8 8 8 7 7 9 9 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Help 29% 23% 24% 29% 16% 55% 6% Hurt 36 48 38 31 34 12 59 No difference 29 21 32 33 37 30 31 DK/NA 6 8 6 7 13 3 4 23. Governor Rick Scott has pledged that in trying to balance the state's budget deficit that he would not raise taxes or fees. Do you think Rick Scott should have made this pledge or not? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 38% 59% 22% 37% 41% 35% 50% No 54 34 67 57 54 54 42 DK/NA 8 7 11 7 5 11 8 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Yes 39% 36% 40% 34% 37% 55% 25% No 53 57 53 56 53 39 67 DK/NA 8 7 7 10 10 6 8 TREND: Governor Rick Scott has pledged that in trying to balance the state's budget deficit that he would not raise taxes or fees. Do you think Rick Scott should have made this pledge or not? May 25 Apr 6 Feb 2 2011 2011 2011 Yes 38 41 44 No 54 52 48 DK/NA 8 6 9 24. Do you think Rick Scott kept this pledge or not? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 42% 56% 32% 41% 48% 36% 51% No 40 27 50 41 35 45 34 DK/NA 18 17 18 18 17 20 16 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Yes 49% 48% 35% 43% 38% 70% 30% No 33 39 47 37 39 16 55 DK/NA 18 13 18 20 23 14 14 25. Do you think the new state budget will help to create jobs in Florida or not? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 26% 40% 18% 24% 31% 21% 42% No 61 46 69 64 58 64 45 DK/NA 13 14 13 12 11 15 13 North/ STATE BUDGET Q20 PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Fair Unfair Yes 34% 24% 26% 30% 19% 57% 9% No 54 65 66 60 58 32 83 DK/NA 13 11 8 10 22 11 8 27. Do you think getting property insurance in Florida is getting easier, getting more difficult, or staying about the same? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Easier 3% 4% 3% 3% 2% 4% 4% More difficult 63 60 64 63 60 65 58 About the same 26 28 26 25 29 24 34 DK/NA 8 8 8 8 9 7 5 North/ PROPERTY OWNERS PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Yes No Easier 5% 2% 5% 3% 2% 2% 7% More difficult 60 65 60 72 63 67 50 About the same 29 24 30 19 24 27 26 DK/NA 6 9 5 7 11 4 17 28. Do you think the cost of property insurance in Florida is getting more expensive, getting less expensive, or staying about the same? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl More expensive 74% 74% 74% 74% 71% 77% 78% Less expensive 3 4 2 5 5 2 2 About the same 16 18 17 14 16 16 18 DK/NA 6 4 7 7 8 5 2 North/ PROPERTY OWNERS PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Yes No More expensive 77% 74% 74% 80% 71% 78% 65% Less expensive 1 3 5 1 4 3 3 About the same 18 15 17 16 15 16 17 DK/NA 4 9 5 3 10 3 15 29. Do you think the government should do more to regulate property insurance in Florida or is it doing enough? WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Should do more 59% 42% 71% 61% 54% 64% 46% Doing enough 29 45 18 26 34 24 42 DK/NA 12 13 10 13 12 12 12 North/ PROPERTY OWNERS PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Yes No Should do more 50% 64% 55% 60% 67% 59% 63% Doing enough 38 25 34 30 20 31 20 DK/NA 12 11 11 10 13 10 17
