July 17, 2012 - Christie's 'Bully-Meter' Creeps Up In New Jersey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Voters Say Delay Vote On Tax Cut Word format New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is more of a leader than a bully, New Jersey voters say 50 - 45 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. That compares to a 54 - 39 percent vote for leader April 11. In a separate question, when the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll asked New Jersey voters for one word to describe Gov. Christie, with no choices offered, 185 voters say "bully." The next most used words are: Arrogant - 75 voters; Tough - 50 voters; Honest - 43 voters; Good - 41 voters; Aggressive - 38 voters. The overall tone and level of civility in New Jersey politics is mostly negative, voters say 65 - 27 percent, but 60 percent say that tone is about the same as the level in Washington, while 23 percent say Trenton is better and 12 percent say worse. "Gov. Christopher Christie's squabble on the Seaside boardwalk - shades of Snooki! - underlined his pugnacious 'Jersey Guy' image with some voters, who volunteered that he's a bully. But most of his fellow New Jerseyans call him a leader," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "The folks in Trenton aren't very polite, voters think, but political civility along the Delaware is about on a par with behavior along the Potomac." New Jersey voters approve 54 - 39 percent of the job the governor is doing, unchanged from Quinnipiac University's May 16 survey. New Jersey voters say 53 - 40 percent that Christie would be a bad choice as the vice presidential candidate on Gov. Mitt Romney's Republican ticket. Republicans say 54 - 40 percent he would be a good choice for running mate, but Democrats say bad choice 64 - 30 percent, with independent voters agreeing 53 - 42 percent. "Politicians still gossip about the idea, but New Jerseyans think Christie would be a bad choice for VP," Carroll said. "The Gov's job approval number holds comfortably above 50 percent and voters like him and his policies." More New Jersey voters agree with Democrats that it's better to wait for a tax cut: 49 percent side with legislative Democrats, who want to delay voting on a tax cut until they see if state revenues are strong enough to support the cut; 43 percent join Christie in wanting the tax vote right away. Democrats want to wait, 77 - 14 percent. Backing a vote now are Republicans 79 - 17 percent. Independent voters are divided 47 - 47 percent. Tax vote aside, voters approve 54 - 39 percent of the way Christie is handling the state budget. Voters give the State Legislature bad grades, disapproving 45 - 31 percent of the job the State Assembly is doing; disapproving 45 - 34 percent of the job the State Senate is doing, and disapproving 53 - 27 of the way the State Legislature is handling the state budget. "Gov. Christie's special legislative session provided some early-summer noise, but the result is more voters side with the Democrats wait-and-see position instead of Christie's demand for a vote on tax relief now," Carroll said. From July 9 - 15, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,623 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 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 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. 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 54% 87% 27% 60% 60% 49% 61% 24% Disapprove 39 10 65 34 34 43 34 63 DK/NA 7 3 7 7 5 8 5 13 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 43% 55% 61% 46% 64% Disapprove 48 37 36 48 29 DK/NA 9 8 3 6 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling his job as Governor? (*Low approve also 44% Jun 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Apr 11 Jun 21 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011* Approve 54 57 59 55 53 59 44 Disapprove 39 38 36 38 39 36 47 DK/NA 7 6 5 7 8 5 10 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Stephen Sweeney is handling his job as State Senate President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 27% 28% 27% 27% 30% 24% 29% 27% Disapprove 24 25 23 26 29 21 25 23 DK/NA 48 47 50 47 41 55 46 50 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 25% 29% 26% 32% 22% Disapprove 26 19 24 29 29 DK/NA 50 52 50 39 49 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Stephen Sweeney is handling his job as State Senate President? Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Nov 16 Oct 12 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 Approve 27 25 27 28 27 23 23 Disapprove 24 25 27 26 26 28 29 DK/NA 48 49 46 46 47 50 48 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheila Oliver is handling her job as Assembly Speaker? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 22% 15% 31% 21% 24% 21% 19% 42% Disapprove 19 23 12 22 24 14 20 15 DK/NA 59 62 57 57 52 65 61 43 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 27% 23% 14% 24% 22% Disapprove 20 17 25 19 16 DK/NA 53 60 60 57 62 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheila Oliver is handling her job as Assembly Speaker? (*High also 24% Jan 2012, Jun 2011, **Low also 19% Aug 2010, Nov 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Feb 29 Nov 16 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012* 2011** Approve 22 20 23 24 24 24 19 Disapprove 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 DK/NA 59 61 58 57 55 57 60 11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state assembly is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 31% 29% 36% 30% 33% 30% 31% 38% Disapprove 45 47 38 49 51 39 45 38 DK/NA 24 25 26 20 16 31 24 24 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 27% 32% 32% 27% 37% Disapprove 50 43 44 49 39 DK/NA 23 25 23 24 23 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state assembly is handling its job? (*Low also 25% Dec 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 Feb 29 Jan 18 Nov 16 Oct 12 Feb 29 Aug 17 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 2011* Approve 31 33 31 30 29 33 25 Disapprove 45 44 47 46 49 44 55 DK/NA 24 23 22 24 22 23 20 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state senate is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 34% 33% 41% 32% 34% 35% 34% 41% Disapprove 45 50 35 51 50 41 47 37 DK/NA 21 18 24 17 16 25 20 22 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 32% 33% 35% 32% 39% Disapprove 44 47 44 48 42 DK/NA 24 20 21 20 19 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state senate is handling its job? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 Feb 29 Jan 18 Nov 16 Oct 12 Feb 29 Aug 17 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 2011 Approve 34 36 33 32 29 36 27 Disapprove 45 46 50 47 53 46 57 DK/NA 21 19 17 21 18 19 16 16. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New Jersey today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Very satisfied 5% 9% 4% 3% 4% 6% 5% 5% Smwht satisfied 43 50 35 46 45 41 46 37 Smwht dissatisfied 32 27 37 31 31 33 31 28 Very dissatisfied 19 12 22 19 19 18 17 29 DK/NA 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Very satisfied 4% 5% 5% 3% 7% Smwht satisfied 37 46 45 36 50 Smwht dissatisfied 37 27 38 37 28 Very dissatisfied 20 21 11 24 15 DK/NA 3 2 1 2 - TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New Jersey today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? (*High also 71% Feb 1999) VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 19 Dec 26 Jun 17 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2000* 2010 Very satisfied 5 5 8 6 4 10 2 Smwht satisfied 43 47 45 44 38 61 22 Smwht dissatisfied 32 29 30 30 34 21 36 Very dissatisfied 19 18 16 20 24 7 39 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 17. What one word best describes your impression of Christopher Christie? NOTE: These numbers are not percentages; figures show the number of respondents who offered each response. This table reports only those words that were mentioned at least five times. Bully 185 Arrogant 75 Tough 50 Honest 43 Good 41 Aggressive 38 Strong 26 Determined 24 Bold 23 Great 23 Leader 21 Excellent 20 Gutsy 20 Obnoxious 19 Fat 18 Blowhard 16 Okay 16 Trying 15 Forceful 14 Outspoken 14 Rude 14 Dynamic 12 Fighter 12 Pompous 11 Interesting 10 Competent 9 Confident 9 Jerk 9 Brash 8 Conservative 8 Courageous 8 Efficient 8 Idiot 8 Loud 8 Opinionated 8 Straightforward 8 Approve 7 Asshole 7 Bad 7 Bombastic 7 Dedicated 7 Fair 7 Focused 7 Hothead 7 Loudmouth 7 Tenacious 7 Belligerent 6 Bigmouth 6 Blunt 6 Effective 6 Go-Getter 6 Incompetent 6 Outstanding 6 Stubborn 6 Truthful 6 Brave 5 Direct 5 Fantastic 5 Ignorant 5 Intelligent 5 Nasty 5 Phony 5 Positive 5 Selfish 5 Smart 5 Wonderful 5 DK/NA 62 18. Suppose Mitt Romney selects New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie as his vice presidential running mate. Do you think that would be a good choice or a bad choice? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Good choice 40% 54% 30% 42% 44% 36% 44% 23% Bad choice 53 40 64 53 48 58 50 68 DK/NA 7 7 7 6 8 6 6 9 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Good choice 34% 39% 40% 39% 45% Bad choice 61 54 53 54 46 DK/NA 5 7 7 7 9 WHITE................................. COLLEGE DEG Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Good choice 43% 44% 43% 45% 47% 40% Bad choice 52 49 52 49 46 54 DK/NA 5 7 6 6 7 6 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 Good choice 42% 39% 45% 40% 38% 33% 39% 44% 58% Bad choice 52 54 51 55 52 58 55 52 39 DK/NA 6 7 4 5 9 9 6 4 3 20. Regardless of how you feel about Christopher Christie's policies, would you say you like or don't like Christopher Christie as a person? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Like 55% 86% 29% 60% 62% 49% 60% 31% Don't like 35 10 56 31 31 38 32 50 DK/NA 10 4 14 9 7 13 8 19 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Like 47% 56% 63% 48% 61% Don't like 41 34 31 39 30 DK/NA 12 10 6 14 9 TREND: Regardless of how you feel about Christopher Christie's policies, would you say you like or don't like Christopher Christie as a person? (* High also 59% Oct 2011) LIKE....... High Low Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Apr 11 Jun 21 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012* 2011 Like 55 57 59 56 55 59 49 Don't like 35 31 31 32 32 31 33 DK/NA 10 12 10 13 13 10 19 21. And regardless of how you feel about Christopher Christie as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Christopher Christie's policies? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Like 54% 88% 23% 61% 59% 49% 61% 25% Don't like 40 10 72 32 36 44 34 66 DK/NA 6 3 6 6 5 7 5 9 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Like 36% 54% 67% 44% 66% Don't like 56 41 29 50 28 DK/NA 9 5 4 7 6 TREND: And regardless of how you feel about Christopher Christie as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Christopher Christie's policies? LIKE....... High Low Jul 17 May 16 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Apr 11 Jun 21 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 Like 54 54 55 54 52 55 45 Don't like 40 40 39 42 44 39 49 DK/NA 6 7 6 5 4 6 6 22. How would you describe the overall tone and level of civility in New Jersey state politics today, would you say it is mostly positive or mostly negative? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Mostly positive 27% 37% 21% 27% 25% 29% 26% 32% Mostly negative 65 55 73 66 67 64 66 66 DK/NA 7 8 6 7 7 7 7 3 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Mostly positive 31% 29% 23% 22% 29% Mostly negative 63 62 68 70 65 DK/NA 5 8 9 8 5 23. Do you think the tone and civility in state politics in Trenton is better than the tone and civility in national politics in Washington, is it worse, or is it about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Better 23% 33% 17% 22% 27% 18% 25% 14% Worse 12 7 16 14 10 15 11 18 About the same 60 56 62 59 59 61 59 61 DK/NA 5 4 5 5 4 6 5 7 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Better 21% 22% 22% 21% 28% Worse 10 17 11 12 9 About the same 63 56 61 61 61 DK/NA 6 5 6 5 2 24. Would you describe Governor Christie as being more of a bully, or more of a leader? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Bully 45% 12% 73% 42% 42% 48% 41% 70% Leader 50 86 22 55 55 47 56 26 DK/NA 4 3 4 3 3 5 3 4 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Bully 57% 44% 37% 54% 37% Leader 38 50 58 43 61 DK/NA 5 6 5 3 2 TREND: Would you describe Governor Christie as being more of a bully, or more of a leader? Jul 17 Apr 11 Nov 09 Aug 19 Jun 17 2012 2012 2010 2010 2010 Bully 45 39 42 39 43 Leader 50 54 50 51 44 DK/NA 4 7 8 11 13 25. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling the state budget? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 54% 86% 26% 58% 61% 47% 61% 21% Disapprove 39 10 64 35 32 45 33 69 DK/NA 8 4 10 6 7 8 6 10 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 38% 56% 61% 44% 66% Disapprove 54 37 34 47 27 DK/NA 8 8 5 9 7 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Approve 45% 55% 57% 68% 47% 53% 51% Disapprove 45 38 40 29 45 40 41 DK/NA 10 7 4 4 8 7 8 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling the state budget? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 May 17 Apr 11 Feb 29 Jan 18 Apr 11 Jun 17 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2010 Approve 54 54 58 55 52 58 45 Disapprove 39 38 35 38 42 35 49 DK/NA 8 8 7 7 6 7 6 26. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling the state budget? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 27% 26% 28% 27% 29% 25% 28% 27% Disapprove 53 55 48 55 56 50 53 54 DK/NA 20 19 25 18 15 25 19 18 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 29% 28% 25% 22% 30% Disapprove 51 52 54 59 49 DK/NA 20 20 22 19 21 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Approve 25% 27% 32% 31% 25% 27% 27% Disapprove 53 52 54 52 59 55 55 DK/NA 22 21 13 17 16 18 18 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling the state budget? Jul 17 Aug 12 Mar 17 Jul 17 2012 2008 2005 2003 Approve 27 17 17% 23 Disapprove 53 65 63 55 DK/NA 20 18 20 21 27. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling education? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 48% 80% 19% 53% 52% 44% 55% 20% Disapprove 45 12 76 39 40 49 38 75 DK/NA 8 8 5 8 8 8 7 6 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 38% 48% 55% 40% 56% Disapprove 54 46 37 50 36 DK/NA 8 6 8 10 8 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Approve 41% 47% 51% 57% 36% 48% 46% Disapprove 50 44 45 39 57 46 47 DK/NA 10 8 5 4 7 6 8 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling education? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 17 May 17 Mar 01 Aug 17 Jun 21 Mar 01 Jun 21 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 2011 Approve 48 48 50 44 41 50 41 Disapprove 45 41 43 52 55 43 55 DK/NA 8 11 7 5 4 7 4 28. Is your opinion of New Jersey's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about them? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 60% 48% 69% 61% 60% 59% 59% 61% Unfavorable 22 38 12 23 24 21 24 16 Hvn't hrd enough 15 12 17 14 14 16 14 21 REFUSED 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 63% 58% 57% 65% 57% Unfavorable 16 21 27 21 27 Hvn't hrd enough 19 18 13 12 13 REFUSED 2 3 3 2 3 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Favorable 51% 66% 68% 55% 72% 63% 65% Unfavorable 25 21 20 35 17 21 17 Hvn't hrd enough 21 12 10 10 9 13 14 REFUSED 4 2 3 1 2 3 4 TREND: Is your opinion of New Jersey's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about them? (*Low also 56% Jun 2010) FAVORABLE..... High Low Jul 17 May 17 Mar 01 Jan 19 Apr 21 Apr 21 Nov 11 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2010* Favorable 60 59 57 57 64 64 56 Unfavorable 22 22 25 23 16 16 24 Hvn't hrd enough 15 16 14 17 17 17 19 REFUSED 3 3 4 3 3 3 1 29. Is your opinion of the state's largest teachers' union, the New Jersey Education Association, favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 29% 15% 41% 27% 26% 31% 27% 37% Unfavorable 45 71 22 51 52 39 53 19 Hvn't hrd enough 25 13 36 22 22 28 19 42 REFUSED 1 2 1 - 1 1 1 2 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 33% 29% 23% 31% 27% Unfavorable 30 45 57 41 50 Hvn't hrd enough 37 26 19 26 21 REFUSED - - - 2 1 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Favorable 31% 30% 31% 21% 41% 26% 29% Unfavorable 34 46 49 68 38 46 45 Hvn't hrd enough 33 23 21 11 20 27 26 REFUSED 2 - - - - 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of the state's largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? FAVORABLE..... High Low Jul 17 May 17 Mar 01 Jan 19 Apr 21 Mar 01 Nov 11 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012 2010 Favorable 29 27 31 29 30 31 21 Unfavorable 45 46 46 44 45 46 46 Hvn't hrd enough 25 25 22 25 24 22 32 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 30. As you may know, Governor Christie ordered a special vote on a tax cut. Legislative Democrats want to wait to see if tax revenues are strong enough to support it. Governor Christie wants an immediate vote. Whose position is closer to your point of view, Governor Christie's or legislative Democrats'? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Christie's 43% 79% 14% 47% 49% 39% 49% 17% Democrats' 49 17 77 47 47 52 44 73 DK/NA 7 4 9 6 5 9 6 10 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Christie's 33% 43% 49% 39% 52% Democrats' 66 48 46 50 41 DK/NA 1 9 4 11 7 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Union HAVE KIDS.... <50K 50-100 100-250 >250 HsHlds <18 PubSch Christie's 43% 42% 43% 50% 34% 45% 44% Democrats' 49 52 55 44 59 48 50 DK/NA 8 7 3 6 7 7 6 Demographic Summary
