February 20, 2013 - New Jersey Gov Flies High, Buries Unknown Dem, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Christie Close To Clinton, Leads Cuomo In '16 Pres Race Word format PDF format New Jersey voters today continue Gov. Christopher Christie's record-breaking 74 - 22 percent approval rating, the highest of any New Jersey governor in 17 years of Quinnipiac University surveys. Voters also say 71 - 23 percent that Gov. Christie deserves reelection this year. Christie's job score is currently the highest of any governor in the seven states surveyed by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. Democrats approve of the Republican governor 56 - 38 percent and say 48 - 43 percent he deserves reelection. Christie leads his likely Democratic challenger, State Sen. Barbara Buono 62 - 25 percent, including 54 - 31 percent among women and 71 - 18 percent among men. Backing the governor are Republicans, 93 - 4 percent, and independent voters, 68 - 18 percent, while Democrats back Buono by a mediocre 51 - 31 percent. "How high is up? New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie keeps soaring. Most governors would kill for a 56 percent job approval rating. Republican Gov. Christie gets that from Democrats!" said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "State Sen. Barbara Buono is going to have to introduce herself to voters; no one knows her and Christie clobbers her." New Jersey voters give Christie a 69 - 22 percent favorability rating, including 47 - 38 percent among Democrats. For Buono, 83 percent don't know enough about her to form an opinion. Having Buono at the top of the ticket will be bad for other Democratic candidates this year, 13 percent of voters say, while 8 percent say good and 77 percent offer no opinion. But New Jersey voters say 47 - 40 percent that they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control the State Legislature. "Coattails? The crystal ball is cloudy. Some voters think Buono would be a drag on Democratic candidates for the legislature," Carroll said. 2016 Presidential Race In an early look at the 2016 presidential election, New Jersey voters go 49 percent for Hillary Clinton and 45 percent for Christie. Clinton leads 60 - 34 percent among women while Christie leads 58 - 35 percent among men. He leads 90 - 7 percent among Republicans and gets 48 percent of independent voters to Clinton's 44 percent. Democrats go to Clinton 86 - 8 percent. The Garden State's native son tops New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo 54 - 36 percent. Christie leads 64 - 29 percent among men and wins 45 percent of women to Cuomo's 42 percent. Christie leads 89 - 7 percent among Republicans and 59 - 28 percent among independent voters. Democrats go to Cuomo 68 - 20 percent. "If the 2016 presidential race shapes up to be the Battle of the Hudson, Native Son Christie tops New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the west bank of the river, but is locked in a tight race with the Empire State's favorite adopted daughter, Hillary Clinton," Carroll said. Minimum Wage New Jersey voters support raising the minimum wage 76 - 21 percent, including 55 - 41 percent among Republicans. Support among all other party, gender, regional, age, income and education groups tops 68 percent. The minimum wage issue should be decided by a voter referendum to amend the State Constitution rather than by the State Legislature passing a law, voters say 56 - 38 percent. From February 13 - 17, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,149 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 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 information or RSS feed, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. If the election for Governor were being held today, and the candidates were Barbara Buono the Democrat and Christopher Christie the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Buono 25% 4% 51% 18% 18% 31% 17% 50% Christie 62 93 31 68 71 54 72 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 1 1 - 1 - 4 DK/NA 12 3 16 13 11 13 10 20 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Buono 24% 25% 34% 23% 22% 29% 27% 20% Christie 63 61 51 66 63 57 56 70 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 1 1 - - 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 - 1 1 1 1 - DK/NA 11 13 14 9 13 13 15 9 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Buono 30% 32% 13% 31% 14% Christie 52 56 75 53 75 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 - - 1 2 DK/NA 17 11 11 14 9 TREND: If the election for Governor were being held today, and the candidates were Barbara Buono the Democrat and Christopher Christie the Republican, for whom would you vote? Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 28 Oct 17 2013 2013 2012 2012 Buono 25 22 23 33 Christie 62 63 61 49 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 DK/NA 12 13 14 17 3. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were Andrew Cuomo the Democrat and Christopher Christie the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Cuomo 36% 7% 68% 28% 29% 42% 28% 60% Christie 54 89 20 59 64 45 64 23 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 DK/NA 9 3 10 12 7 11 7 14 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Cuomo 39% 34% 41% 35% 34% 39% 38% 33% Christie 50 56 49 57 53 50 49 59 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 - 1 1 2 - - DK/NA 9 9 10 7 10 8 11 7 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Cuomo 48% 43% 26% 38% 21% Christie 37 49 67 50 67 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 1 1 - DK/NA 15 6 6 11 11 4. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Clinton the Democrat and Christopher Christie the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Clinton 49% 7% 86% 44% 35% 60% 37% 88% Christie 45 90 8 48 58 34 56 6 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - - - - 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 2 1 1 1 1 - DK/NA 5 3 5 7 5 5 4 6 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Clinton 51% 47% 51% 51% 46% 54% 51% 46% Christie 43 46 41 44 47 38 44 50 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 - - - - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 2 2 1 1 3 - - DK/NA 5 5 5 4 6 6 4 3 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Clinton 61% 55% 40% 53% 32% Christie 31 40 57 39 57 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 - - - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 - 3 2 DK/NA 7 3 3 5 9 5. Is your opinion of Christopher Christie favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 69% 93% 47% 72% 76% 63% 78% 42% Unfavorable 22 5 38 19 17 26 17 37 Hvn't hrd enough 6 1 10 6 5 7 3 18 REFUSED 3 1 5 3 3 4 3 4 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Favorable 69% 69% 53% 74% 71% 63% 68% 75% Unfavorable 24 20 31 20 20 23 22 20 Hvn't hrd enough 2 8 10 5 4 12 4 2 REFUSED 5 3 5 2 5 2 6 4 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 59% 65% 76% 63% 81% Unfavorable 24 25 18 26 14 Hvn't hrd enough 9 7 4 8 2 REFUSED 8 3 2 3 3 TREND: Is your opinion of Christopher Christie favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? (*High also 69% Jan 2013) FAVORABLE..... High Low Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 28 Sep 05 May 16 Feb 20 Aug 12 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 2013* 2008 Favorable 69 69 67 52 53 69 21 Unfavorable 22 21 22 42 39 22 7 Hvn't hrd enough 6 6 7 4 7 6 69 REFUSED 3 4 4 2 2 3 2 6. Is your opinion of Barbara Buono favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 8% 2% 16% 5% 6% 10% 7% 10% Unfavorable 8 14 2 9 13 5 10 2 Hvn't hrd enough 83 84 81 84 81 84 82 86 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Favorable 8% 8% 9% 6% 9% 9% 8% 6% Unfavorable 9 8 2 9 11 6 9 9 Hvn't hrd enough 82 83 89 84 78 83 82 84 REFUSED 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 5% 11% 7% 8% 7% Unfavorable 5 8 13 5 9 Hvn't hrd enough 89 80 80 85 83 REFUSED - 1 1 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Barbara Buono favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 28 2013 2013 2012 Favorable 8 8 8 Unfavorable 8 9 7 Hvn't hrd enough 83 82 84 REFUSED 1 - 1 10. Is your opinion of Andrew Cuomo favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 45% 26% 66% 44% 43% 48% 43% 58% Unfavorable 23 43 8 21 31 16 27 7 Hvn't hrd enough 31 30 26 34 26 35 29 35 REFUSED 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 1 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Favorable 55% 39% 41% 48% 45% 41% 45% 48% Unfavorable 21 24 17 24 24 17 24 29 Hvn't hrd enough 22 36 41 27 29 41 29 22 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 56% 51% 42% 36% 39% Unfavorable 21 22 33 14 26 Hvn't hrd enough 24 27 24 49 31 REFUSED - 1 1 - 4 11. Is your opinion of Hillary Clinton favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 67% 32% 94% 67% 57% 74% 60% 97% Unfavorable 29 63 4 29 37 23 37 1 Hvn't hrd enough 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 REFUSED 1 3 - 1 2 1 2 - COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Favorable 68% 66% 68% 70% 64% 69% 66% 65% Unfavorable 28 30 25 26 33 26 32 30 Hvn't hrd enough 2 3 5 3 1 3 1 4 REFUSED 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Favorable 76% 67% 65% 72% 54% Unfavorable 19 29 30 27 40 Hvn't hrd enough 3 2 4 - 4 REFUSED 2 1 1 1 2 TREND: Is your opinion of Hillary Clinton favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? FAVORABLE..... High Low Feb 20 Jun 12 Feb 21 Dec 13 Sep 26 Feb 20 Dec 13 2013 2008 2008 2007 2007 2013 2007 Favorable 67 51 50 43 51 67 43 Unfavorable 29 45 43 42 41 29 42 Hvn't hrd enough 3 2 5 11 6 3 11 REFUSED 1 2 3 4 2 1 4 12. 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 74% 94% 56% 77% 82% 67% 82% 48% Disapprove 22 5 38 19 15 28 14 46 DK/NA 4 1 6 4 3 5 4 6 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Approve 74% 74% 61% 77% 77% 68% 73% 80% Disapprove 22 21 35 20 17 26 23 18 DK/NA 4 4 4 3 5 6 4 2 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 63% 70% 82% 69% 86% Disapprove 32 27 15 24 10 DK/NA 5 3 4 6 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christopher Christie is handling his job as Governor? (*High also 74% Jan 2013, **Low also 44% Jun 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 27 Oct 17 Sep 05 Feb 20 Jun 21 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 2013* 2011** Approve 74 74 72 56 53 74 44 Disapprove 22 21 21 38 42 22 47 DK/NA 4 5 7 7 5 4 10 16. Do you feel that Christopher Christie deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes/Deserves 71% 94% 48% 77% 80% 64% 79% 46% No/Does not 23 5 43 18 17 28 16 45 DK/NA 6 1 9 5 3 8 4 10 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Yes/Deserves 73% 70% 59% 74% 74% 66% 67% 79% No/Does not 22 23 34 21 20 26 26 17 DK/NA 5 7 6 4 6 8 7 4 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Yes/Deserves 64% 67% 79% 63% 84% No/Does not 26 29 16 27 12 DK/NA 10 4 5 9 4 TREND: Do you feel that Christopher Christie deserves to be reelected, or do you feel that he does not deserve to be reelected? Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 28 Oct 17 2013 2013 2012 2012 Yes/Deserves 71 68 67 52 No/Does not 23 24 25 40 DK/NA 6 7 9 8 17. 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 8% 19% 4% 6% 9% 8% 10% 3% Smwht satisfied 53 54 50 54 54 53 56 48 Smwht dissatisfied 28 18 38 27 27 28 24 38 Very dissatisfied 10 9 8 13 10 11 9 12 DK/NA - - - - - - - - COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Very satisfied 8% 9% 8% 7% 9% 7% 6% 10% Smwht satisfied 55 52 58 50 54 53 52 54 Smwht dissatisfied 28 27 22 36 24 28 29 29 Very dissatisfied 9 11 12 7 12 11 13 6 DK/NA - - - - 1 1 - - Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Very satisfied 6% 9% 10% 8% 8% Smwht satisfied 51 55 55 47 56 Smwht dissatisfied 34 25 29 30 24 Very dissatisfied 8 10 6 14 13 DK/NA - 1 - - - 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 Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 27 Sep 05 Jul 17 Dec 26 Jun 17 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 2000* 2010 Very satisfied 8 6 8 6 5 10 2 Smwht satisfied 53 52 57 50 43 61 22 Smwht dissatisfied 28 30 26 30 32 21 36 Very dissatisfied 10 11 9 13 19 7 39 DK/NA - 1 1 1 1 1 1 18. Which party would you like to see control the New Jersey State Legislature after the elections in November 2013, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Democratic Party 47% 4% 93% 36% 38% 55% 37% 82% Republican Party 40 94 2 39 50 32 50 5 DK/NA 13 2 5 25 12 14 12 13 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Democratic Party 48% 46% 61% 47% 41% 53% 50% 42% Republican Party 41 39 30 42 43 32 39 49 DK/NA 11 15 9 11 16 16 11 9 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Democratic Party 62% 50% 37% 54% 34% Republican Party 28 36 53 34 49 DK/NA 10 14 10 13 17 TREND: Which party would you like to see control the New Jersey State Legislature after the elections in November 2013, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party? Feb 20 Jan 23 Nov 28 2013 2013 2012 Democratic Party 47 48 45 Republican Party 40 39 38 DK/NA 13 13 17 19. Do you think that having Barbara Buono as the Democratic nominee for Governor will be good or bad for Democratic legislative candidates running for office this year, or don't you have an opinion on that? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Good 8% 8% 16% 3% 8% 9% 7% 16% Bad 13 16 9 15 16 11 15 7 No opinion 77 74 74 79 73 79 77 76 NO DIFF(VOL) 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 - REFUSED - - - 1 1 - - 1 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Good 7% 9% 15% 8% 7% 11% 7% 6% Bad 15 12 9 15 13 11 14 15 No opinion 75 78 74 76 78 77 76 77 NO DIFF(VOL) 3 - 1 1 1 1 1 2 REFUSED - - 1 - 1 - 1 - Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Good 6% 13% 7% 8% 4% Bad 15 10 13 16 15 No opinion 79 74 78 75 80 NO DIFF(VOL) - 2 1 1 1 REFUSED - 1 - 1 - 25. Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New Jersey, which is now $7.25 an hour? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 76% 55% 94% 76% 68% 83% 71% 99% Oppose 21 41 4 20 30 13 26 1 DK/NA 3 5 1 4 2 3 4 - COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Support 74% 78% 77% 79% 74% 83% 77% 70% Oppose 23 19 19 20 22 13 20 28 DK/NA 2 3 4 1 4 3 3 2 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Support 82% 80% 68% 81% 69% Oppose 18 18 30 16 25 DK/NA - 3 2 2 6 TREND: Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New Jersey, which is now $7.25 an hour? Feb 20 Jan 24 2013 2013 Support 76 82 Oppose 21 16 DK/NA 3 2 26. Do you think the issue of raising the minimum wage should be decided by the State Legislature passing a law, or the voters enacting a constitutional amendment in a referendum? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Legislature/Law 38% 32% 41% 40% 37% 39% 39% 32% Voters/Amendment 56 63 54 53 57 55 54 66 DK/NA 6 4 5 7 6 6 7 3 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YRS....... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <50K 50-100 >100K Legislature/Law 48% 31% 33% 38% 42% 34% 35% 47% Voters/Amendment 45 63 66 56 50 60 59 47 DK/NA 6 6 1 6 8 7 5 6 Philly Urban SbUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Legislature/Law 40% 43% 41% 33% 30% Voters/Amendment 55 52 54 62 60 DK/NA 5 5 6 5 10 Demographic Summary
