July 17, 2003 - Budget Woes Hammer Gov. McGreevey, Legislature, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Like Cigarette, Casino Taxes, Dislike Service Cuts On the heels of an unpopular state budget agreement, New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and the State Legislature continue to wallow in historically low approval ratings, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Gov. McGreevey has a negative 35 - 49 percent overall approval. This compares to a negative 35 - 47 percent approval in a June 18 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN- uh-pe-ack) University. Only 35 percent of New Jersey voters approve of the budget compromise reached in Trenton this month, while 37 percent disapprove, with 28 percent undecided. Voters give the State Legislature a negative 32 - 48 percent approval, similar to the June 18 finding, but down from the 38 - 39 percent split in an April 2 poll. "New Jersey voters reject the July 1 state budget compromise and give both Gov. McGreevey and the State Legislature abysmal marks for their handling of the fiscal crisis," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Only about one voter in four approves of the way McGreevey and the legislature handled the budget while they overwhelmingly reject the item that impacts them most - cutting the property tax rebate. Since most of them don't smoke or gamble, the so-called 'sin taxes' on casinos and cigarettes were the only popular items in the budget. "Approval ratings for the governor and the legislature hover at record lows. A significant majority continue to be dissatisfied with the way things are going in New Jersey. Even President Bush's lofty numbers have slipped, though he remains more popular than statewide leaders," Richards added. President George W. Bush has 53 - 43 percent approval rating in New Jersey, down from 58 - 39 percent in a June 19 Quinnipiac University poll. Looking at the state budget, voters disapprove 67 - 31 percent of reductions in state property tax rebates for most homeowners. By wide margins, voters also disapprove of funding cuts in the budget: 71 - 25 percent against cuts in arts and cultural programs; 83 - 15 percent against cuts for colleges and universities; 85 - 11 percent against cuts in health care for the poor. New Jersey voters approve 73 - 25 percent of the cigarette tax hike, and 76 - 20 percent of the tax increase on casinos. The Governor gets negative 28 - 58 percent approval for his handling of the state budget. The State Legislature gets a negative 23 - 55 percent approval for its handling of the budget. Voters say 44 - 37 percent, with 19 percent undecided, that they would like to see the Democratic Party control the legislature after the November elections. From July 9 - 15, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,091 New Jersey registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and nationally as a public service and for research. For additional data -- www.quinnipiac.edu and quicklinks or call (203) 582-5201. TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way James McGreevey is handling his job as Governor of New Jersey? App Dis DK/NA Jul 17, 2003 35% 49% 16% Jun 18, 2003 35 47 18 Apr 2, 2003 38 44 18 Jan 29, 2003 40 41 18 Dec 11, 2002 37 42 21 Oct 7, 2002 44 43 13 Sep 12, 2002 41 36 23 Aug 8, 2002 42 34 25 Jun 20, 2002 43 30 27 Apr 24, 2002 40 32 28 Mar 7, 2002 46 22 32 Jan 31, 2002 42 19 39 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W Bush is handling his job as President? App Dis DK/NA Jul 17, 2003 53% 43% 4% Jun 19, 2003 58 39 3 Apr 1, 2003 67 29 4 Jan 29 2003 54 42 4 Dec 11,2002 58 36 5 Oct 7, 2002 62 34 5 Sep 12,2002 64 30 6 Aug 8, 2002 61 32 7 Jun 19,2002 73 21 7 Apr 24, 2002 77 18 5 Mar 7, 2002 77 18 5 Jan 30, 2002 82 13 6 Oct 18, 2001 90 7 3 Sep 26, 2001 88 8 5 Aug 7, 2001 52 42 6 Jul 5, 2001 53 42 5 May 14, 2001 57 35 7 Apr 11, 2001 57 34 9 Mar 8, 2001 62 26 12 Feb 8, 2001 51 28 21 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? Very Smwht Smwht Very sat sat dis dis DK/NA Jul 17, 2003 4% 42% 35% 18% 1% Jun 18, 2003 5 39 34 21 2 Apr 2, 2003 4 42 37 16 2 Jan 29, 2003 3 42 33 20 1 Dec 11, 2002 4 47 31 17 1 Jun 20, 2002 5 48 31 15 1 Mar 7, 2002 4 50 30 14 2 Dec 26, 2000 10 61 21 7 1 Feb 12, 1999 11 60 21 7 - Oct 22, 1997 8 53 26 12 1 Sep 16, 1997 9 48 27 15 - Jun 25, 1997 9 50 28 13 1 Apr 10, 1997 7 52 29 11 1 Feb 20, 1997 11 56 23 10 1 Dec 11, 1996 8 49 31 12 1 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling it's job? App Dis DK/NA Jul 17, 2003 32% 48% 20% Jun 18, 2003 30 46 24 Apr 2, 2003 38 39 24 TREND: Which party would you like to see control the New Jersey State legislature after the elections in November the Democratic Party or the Republican Party? Dem Rep DK/NA Jul 17, 2003 44% 37% 19% Jun 18, 2003 49 40 12 Jul 3, 2001 46 38 16 Mar 8, 2001 39 39 23 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way James McGreevey is handling his job as Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 35% 25% 47% 32% 36% 34% 38% Disapprove 49 64 36 53 49 49 50 DK/NA 16 11 17 15 14 17 11 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 47% 41% 29% 27% 28% Disapprove 38 47 54 54 56 DK/NA 16 12 18 19 17 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 32% 29% 40% 26% 34% 30% 38% Disapprove 48 56 36 55 52 45 48 DK/NA 20 15 23 19 14 25 15 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 41% 33% 26% 30% 29% Disapprove 39 49 51 46 57 DK/NA 21 19 23 24 14 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Jon Corzine is handling his job as United States Senator? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 48% 36% 59% 46% 47% 48% 58% Disapprove 27 42 14 29 33 21 25 DK/NA 26 22 27 26 19 31 18 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 61% 46% 49% 45% 40% Disapprove 19 28 31 22 34 DK/NA 19 26 21 34 26 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Frank Lautenberg is handling his job as United States Senator? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 43% 26% 54% 46% 41% 44% 52% Disapprove 33 54 20 31 39 28 30 DK/NA 24 20 25 23 20 28 18 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 51% 45% 32% 45% 38% Disapprove 20 34 46 25 43 DK/NA 29 22 23 30 19 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 53% 87% 29% 49% 58% 48% 53% Disapprove 43 11 67 45 38 47 44 DK/NA 4 2 4 6 3 6 3 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 41% 51% 63% 53% 57% Disapprove 57 42 34 42 38 DK/NA 2 6 2 4 5 6. James McGreevey will be up for re-election in 2005. Would you like to see James McGreevey re-elected Governor, or would you rather see someone else elected Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes/Re-elected 24% 12% 40% 19% 26% 23% 31% No/Someone else 57 76 40 59 56 57 54 DK/NA 19 13 20 22 18 20 15 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Yes/Re-elected 35% 25% 16% 23% 20% No/Someone else 44 54 67 57 64 DK/NA 21 21 16 20 15 7. 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? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very satisfied 4% 4% 6% 2% 4% 4% 4% Smwht satisfied 42 34 49 40 41 42 43 Smwht dissatisfied 35 38 31 37 36 35 38 Very dissatisfied 18 23 13 20 19 18 15 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Very satisfied 3% 6% 3% 5% 2% Smwht satisfied 47 47 38 34 38 Smwht dissatisfied 35 31 43 39 33 Very dissatisfied 15 15 15 22 26 DK/NA - 1 1 - 1 8. Which party would you like to see control the New Jersey State Legislature after the elections in November - the Democratic Party or Republican Party? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Democratic Party 44% 3% 87% 36% 38% 50% 50% Republican Party 37 91 5 30 43 32 33 DK/NA 19 6 7 34 20 19 17 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Democratic Party 57% 46% 33% 43% 36% Republican Party 25 33 54 35 43 DK/NA 18 21 12 21 21 9. Do you approve or disapprove of James McGreevey's handling of the state budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 28% 17% 41% 26% 30% 27% 32% Disapprove 58 72 43 62 59 56 58 DK/NA 14 11 16 12 11 17 10 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 39% 31% 25% 22% 21% Disapprove 47 55 64 62 64 DK/NA 14 14 12 16 15 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the state legislature's handling of the state budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 23% 19% 28% 21% 26% 21% 25% Disapprove 55 63 50 57 59 52 59 DK/NA 21 18 22 21 15 27 16 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 28% 26% 18% 21% 20% Disapprove 48 52 60 57 62 DK/NA 23 21 21 22 18 11. As you may know, the Governor and state legislature reached a state budget compromise that was passed July first. Do you approve or disapprove of the compromise budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 35% 33% 41% 31% 39% 31% 42% Disapprove 37 43 30 39 39 36 32 DK/NA 28 24 29 29 22 33 26 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 38% 37% 37% 27% 34% Disapprove 33 35 40 41 40 DK/NA 29 28 24 32 26 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the funding cuts in arts and cultural programs? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 25% 35% 21% 22% 33% 17% 21% Disapprove 71 62 75 74 64 77 75 DK/NA 4 3 5 5 2 6 3 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 20% 24% 28% 26% 27% Disapprove 77 72 67 70 67 DK/NA 3 4 5 4 6 13. Do you approve or disapprove of the funding cuts to colleges and universities? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 15% 19% 12% 14% 19% 12% 7% Disapprove 83 80 86 83 79 86 90 DK/NA 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 13% 14% 24% 8% 18% Disapprove 85 84 73 90 79 DK/NA 2 2 2 2 3 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the funding cuts for health care for poor families? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 11% 17% 8% 11% 12% 11% 9% Disapprove 85 81 90 86 84 87 88 DK/NA 3 2 2 3 4 3 3 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 13% 10% 14% 10% 13% Disapprove 86 85 84 87 84 DK/NA 1 5 2 3 3 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the tax increase on cigarettes? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 73% 70% 75% 74% 71% 74% 80% Disapprove 25 29 22 23 26 23 19 DK/NA 3 2 3 3 3 2 - Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 73% 77% 72% 75% 63% Disapprove 23 20 26 25 32 DK/NA 3 3 3 - 4 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the tax increase on casinos? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 76% 71% 81% 76% 73% 79% 73% Disapprove 20 26 15 20 24 16 21 DK/NA 4 4 4 4 3 5 6 Philly Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore Approve 75% 81% 79% 76% 67% Disapprove 19 16 16 21 30 DK/NA 5 3 5 3 3 17. Do you approve or disapprove of property tax rebates being cut in half for most homeowners? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 31% 26% 33% 33% 35% 27% 31% Disapprove 67 73 64 64 64 69 65 DK/NA 3 2 3 3 1 4 4 Philly Hmownrs, Annual Urban SubUrbn ExUrbn land Shore HsHld Inc <$200k Approve 32% 32% 33% 31% 26% 28% Disapprove 65 65 63 69 72 70% DK/NA 3 3 3 1 2 2%
