May 23, 2013 - Iowa Voters Divided On Gov. Branstad, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Like Job Performance, Split On Four More Years PDF format Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has a 49 - 31 percent job approval rating from Iowa registered voters who say 43 - 42 percent that he does not deserve another term in office, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters are divided on whether Iowa should expand its Medicaid program as part of the federal health care overhaul, with 45 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. "Gov. Terry Branstad's job approval numbers are just short of the 50 percent threshold and show a nearly 20 point spread between those who approve and disapprove of his job performance," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "The fact that voters are split on the question of whether Gov. Branstad deserves another term in Des Moines is probably a bit disconcerting for the governor. It could be that some voters like what he has done in office but that 20 years in the governor's office is just too long." The governor's approval rating is 75 - 9 percent among Republicans and 50 - 28 percent among independent voters, while Democrats disapprove 53 - 28 percent. There is a small gender gap, with men approving 55 - 29 percent, while women give him a thumbs up 44 - 32 percent. But when voters are asked if Branstad deserves another term, his scores drop across the board. Republicans say he deserves four more years 67 - 18 percent, but Democrats say no 66 - 19 percent and independent voters are split by a 43 - 41 percent margin. Men are divided as 48 percent say yes to another Branstad term and 41 percent say no. Women say no 44 - 36 percent. "The governor's reelection numbers are a contrast with his approval ratings and are worth noting," said Brown. "Yet, the lack of any major Democratic challenger with widespread name recognition and the cash to wage a very expensive campaign probably makes the governor a better reelection bet than the numbers indicate. After all, voters may think he has been governor too long, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will vote to replace him." Branstad is likely benefiting from the perception of the state's voters that the economy is getting better. Although only 5 percent of voters think the economy in Iowa is excellent, a very healthy 61 percent rate it as good, while 26 percent say it is "not so good" and 6 percent say it is poor. A third of voters, 35 percent, say the economy is getting better while only 13 percent think it is getting worse. Voters do not see the same improvement in their own lives, with 23 percent saying their personal financial situation is getting better and 24 percent saying it is worsening and 52 percent seeing it as unchanged. "Good economies are generally good for incumbents seeking reelection," said Brown. Voters split on the Medicaid expansion issue the same way they do on Branstad. Opposition to expanding Medicaid rolls is 64 - 24 percent among Republicans and 46 - 41 percent among independent voters. Democrats support expanding Medicaid 70 - 21 percent. Men are divided as 44 percent favor expansion with 46 percent opposed. Women favor expansion 46 - 40 percent. "There is a slight plurality of voters who support Medicaid expansion, but it is an issue on which the state is pretty well split," said Brown. The governor's job approval rating is in line with that of the state's two U.S. senators. Chuck Grassley gets a 52 - 33 percent score, while Tom Harkin receives a 47 - 35 percent rating. The Iowa legislature, however, does not fare as well, with a negative 38 - 41 percent approval rating. From May 15 - 21, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,411 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 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, Virginia, Iowa and the nation as a public service and for research. For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Terry Branstad is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 49% 75% 28% 50% 55% 44% Disapprove 31 9 53 28 29 32 DK/NA 20 17 19 23 16 24 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Approve 53% 48% 44% 54% 56% 40% 55% 49% 51% Disapprove 35 29 32 28 31 19 27 35 35 DK/NA 12 23 23 18 14 41 19 15 14 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 38% 47% 34% 36% 41% 35% Disapprove 41 32 47 42 41 41 DK/NA 21 21 19 21 18 24 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Approve 40% 37% 37% 44% 39% 48% 37% 35% 37% Disapprove 44 39 40 37 49 23 44 46 42 DK/NA 15 23 23 19 12 28 19 18 22 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Chuck Grassley is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 52% 68% 36% 53% 53% 50% Disapprove 33 17 50 32 35 32 DK/NA 15 15 13 16 12 18 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Approve 54% 51% 53% 51% 53% 45% 51% 53% 55% Disapprove 39 31 31 38 40 21 32 37 38 DK/NA 7 18 17 11 8 34 16 9 7 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tom Harkin is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 47% 24% 72% 43% 45% 48% Disapprove 35 57 13 37 42 29 DK/NA 18 19 15 20 13 23 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Approve 54% 44% 49% 48% 49% 40% 50% 47% 49% Disapprove 35 35 31 34 42 28 32 38 38 DK/NA 11 21 20 18 9 32 18 15 13 6. Do you feel that Terry Branstad deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes/Deserves 42% 67% 19% 43% 48% 36% No/Does not 43 18 66 41 41 44 DK/NA 16 15 15 16 11 20 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Yes/Deserves 44% 41% 38% 45% 51% 32% 47% 42% 43% No/Does not 44 42 46 40 36 38 37 46 46 DK/NA 11 17 16 15 12 30 16 12 11 17. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Iowa today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very satisfied 8% 12% 6% 8% 11% 6% Smwht satisfied 58 65 57 54 57 58 Smwht dissatisfied 25 16 28 27 23 27 Very dissatisfied 7 6 7 8 7 7 DK/NA 2 1 1 2 1 3 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Very satisfied 9% 8% 9% 5% 10% 13% 8% 7% 7% Smwht satisfied 63 56 54 65 66 61 58 57 57 Smwht dissatisfied 23 26 26 24 20 15 29 26 27 Very dissatisfied 5 8 9 5 4 9 4 9 7 DK/NA 1 2 2 - - 2 2 1 3 18. Would you describe the state of Iowa's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% 4% Good 61 67 62 61 65 58 Not so good 26 22 26 28 22 30 Poor 6 4 6 6 5 7 DK/NA 2 2 2 - 2 2 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Excellent 6% 4% 4% 6% 8% 5% 3% 5% 6% Good 75 57 55 69 78 61 60 63 62 Not so good 16 30 30 22 13 25 31 25 26 Poor 3 7 8 3 2 7 6 6 4 DK/NA 1 2 2 - - 3 - 1 2 19. Do you think Iowa's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better 35% 39% 38% 32% 41% 30% Worse 13 9 13 14 11 15 The same 51 50 48 54 47 54 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 2 1 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Better 41% 33% 29% 41% 48% 32% 30% 36% 41% Worse 8 15 16 9 7 16 14 14 8 The same 50 51 54 50 44 49 56 49 49 DK/NA 1 1 1 - - 3 1 - 2 20. Do you think your personal financial situation is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better 23% 25% 26% 21% 33% 14% Worse 24 22 22 27 22 26 The same 52 53 52 52 45 59 DK/NA 1 - - 1 1 1 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Better 33% 20% 17% 27% 48% 36% 26% 23% 12% Worse 19 26 31 20 11 24 22 27 22 The same 48 54 52 53 41 39 52 50 66 DK/NA 1 1 - - - 1 - - 1 21. As you may know Medicaid is a government program that pays for health care for low-income people and others with certain disabilities. Do you think that increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid coverage in Iowa is a good idea or a bad idea? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Good idea 45% 24% 70% 41% 44% 46% Bad idea 43 64 21 46 46 40 DK/NA 12 12 9 13 10 14 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Good idea 42% 46% 50% 44% 36% 48% 44% 44% 46% Bad idea 46 42 37 46 53 46 46 42 38 DK/NA 12 12 13 10 12 6 10 14 16 Demographic Summary
