November 25, 2008 - City's In Bad Shape, But We Want Our Rebate, New York City Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Mayor's Approval Drops From Super-High To Very High Word format New York City's budget problems are "very serious," 66 percent of voters say, and 28 percent say they are "somewhat serious," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. But by a relatively small 52 - 43 percent margin, New York City voters oppose Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to cancel a $400 property tax rebate. Homeowners want the money 54 - 44 percent, and renters agree 50 - 42 percent. Despite a nine-point drop in his approval rating, Mayor Bloomberg has double-digit leads over two announced challengers, in an early look at the 2009 Mayoral race. New York City voters approve 66 - 27 percent of the job Mayor Bloomberg is doing, down from a record high 75 - 20 percent approval in an October 21 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll. This is the first time in more than two years the Mayor's approval has dropped below 70 percent. If the 2009 mayoral election were held today: Bloomberg tops New York City Comptroller William Thompson 49 - 34 percent; Bloomberg beats U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner 50 - 34 percent. "New York City voters like Mayor Michael Bloomberg a little less, but still a lot," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "And even as Mayor Mike turns Scrooge and tries to cancel the $400 property tax rebate, he starts his third-term reelection drive with comfortable leads over his top two challengers so far." "Because New Yorkers believe the City is in tough financial shape, opposition to the plan to cancel the $400 property tax rebate is less than one would expect. Voters seem to accept the fact that taxes will go up." By a 72 - 25 percent margin, New York City voters favor restoration of the commuter tax on suburbanites who work in the City. Support is strong among all groups. Placing tolls on the free East River crossings is a "bad idea," New York City voters say 68 - 28 percent. Even Manhattan voters oppose it 55 - 38 percent. "Taxing the folks from the suburbs is a no-brainer for the voters who don't have to pay," Dr. Schwartz said. "Tolls on the East River crossings? 'Fuhgeddaboutit.'" Voters believe 54 - 35 percent that budget problems are serious enough that it is necessary to raise taxes, and 54 - 38 percent that they are serious enough that service cuts will be necessary. If taxes must be raised to balance the city budget, voter preferences are: 44 percent for the sales tax; 24 percent for the property tax; 21 percent for the income tax. If services must be cut to balance the city budget, voter preferences are: 51 percent for culture and recreation; 12 percent for social services; 7 percent for police; 6 percent for sanitation; 3 percent for firefighters; 3 percent for schools. The Mayor leads Thompson 44 - 40 percent among Democrats, 63 - 19 percent among Republicans and 60 - 24 percent among independent voters. White voters back Bloomberg 60 - 22 percent, as do Hispanics 45 - 39 percent, while black voters go with Thompson 47 - 37 percent. The Mayor has double-digit leads in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island and leads 44 - 39 percent in Brooklyn and 46 - 39 percent in The Bronx. Bloomberg leads Weiner 45 - 40 percent among Democrats, 67 - 17 percent among Republicans and 56 - 26 percent among independent voters. The Mayor leads 60 - 26 percent among white voters, and 42 - 39 percent among black voters, while Hispanic voters go 44 percent for Weiner and 42 percent for Bloomberg. The Mayor has double-digit leads in Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island and leads in Brooklyn 43 - 40 percent. From November 18 - 23, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,594 New York City registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and nationwide as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201. 1. If the 2009 election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Anthony Weiner the Democrat and Michael Bloomberg the Independent, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Weiner 34% 17% 40% 26% 26% 39% 44% Bloomberg 50 67 45 56 60 42 42 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 4 1 2 1 4 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 DK/NA 13 11 12 14 12 13 11 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Weiner 36% 40% 25% 37% 26% 33% 35% Bloomberg 47 43 59 49 53 52 48 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 3 1 1 4 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 1 - 4 1 1 DK/NA 13 13 13 13 13 12 14 2. If the 2009 election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were William Thompson the Democrat and Michael Bloomberg the Independent, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Thompson 34% 19% 40% 24% 22% 47% 39% Bloomberg 49 63 44 60 60 37 45 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 DK/NA 14 14 13 13 14 13 14 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Thompson 39% 39% 27% 32% 23% 34% 33% Bloomberg 46 44 55 52 53 52 48 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 DK/NA 12 14 15 13 18 11 16 3. Is your opinion of -- Michael Bloomberg favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 61% 70% 59% 66% 71% 55% 56% Unfavorable 31 25 33 26 25 37 33 Hvn't hrd enough 4 4 5 4 2 5 7 REFUSED 3 2 3 4 2 3 4 4. Is your opinion of -- Anthony Weiner favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 31% 24% 34% 29% 37% 24% 28% Unfavorable 10 18 7 12 14 8 5 Hvn't hrd enough 57 56 57 57 47 63 67 REFUSED 2 2 2 2 2 4 1 5. Is your opinion of -- William Thompson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 25% 18% 28% 22% 20% 39% 21% Unfavorable 4 9 3 3 5 3 2 Hvn't hrd enough 70 71 68 74 73 56 77 REFUSED 1 2 1 1 2 2 - 6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 66% 74% 63% 73% 73% 62% 59% Disapprove 27 22 29 22 21 28 32 DK/NA 7 4 8 5 6 9 9 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 62% 61% 74% 67% 63% 69% 63% Disapprove 30 33 20 24 31 26 28 DK/NA 8 6 7 9 7 5 9 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor? * also 75% on 10/03/08, 3/12/08, 1/16/07 & 11/17/05 Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 21 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Oct 21 Jul 2 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008* 2003 Approve 66 75 75 71 70 75 31 Disapprove 27 20 19 22 22 19 60 DK/NA 7 6 6 6 8 6 8 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ray Kelly is handling his job as Police Commissioner? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 62% 77% 60% 62% 75% 48% 55% Disapprove 23 12 25 21 10 38 27 DK/NA 16 10 15 17 15 14 19 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 44% 60% 66% 67% 74% 67% 58% Disapprove 32 26 16 21 17 22 23 DK/NA 23 14 18 12 10 11 19 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ray Kelly is handling his job as Police Commissioner? * also 70% on 2/3/06 Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7&8 Mar 13 Mar 9 Jan 16 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2006 * 2007 Approve 62 61 60 59 62 70 52 Disapprove 23 25 27 30 28 17 34 DK/NA 16 14 13 11 10 13 14 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joel Klein is handling his job as New York City Schools Chancellor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 43% 47% 43% 43% 42% 46% 46% Disapprove 35 32 36 33 32 41 31 DK/NA 22 21 21 23 26 13 23 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 50% 37% 45% 45% 44% 50% 38% Disapprove 33 40 29 36 32 30 38 DK/NA 17 23 27 19 24 20 23 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joel Klein is handling his job as New York City Schools Chancellor? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Mar 13 Feb 26 Mar 15 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2003 2007 Approve 43 42 44 37 40 46 33 Disapprove 35 38 37 41 39 27 43 DK/NA 22 20 19 22 21 28 24 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Betsy Gotbaum is handling her job as Public Advocate? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 43% 31% 46% 41% 44% 43% 38% Disapprove 17 27 16 17 15 20 19 DK/NA 40 43 38 42 40 37 43 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 45% 40% 43% 45% 43% 42% 44% Disapprove 14 21 15 15 21 19 16 DK/NA 41 39 42 39 36 39 41 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Betsy Gotbaum is handling her job as Public Advocate? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Mar 13 Oct 3 Feb 26 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2003 Approve 43 49 45 48 45 49 34 Disapprove 17 16 17 18 18 16 17 DK/NA 40 35 38 33 37 35 49 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 40% 36% 42% 37% 44% 33% 39% Disapprove 29 33 28 32 27 38 25 DK/NA 31 31 30 31 29 28 36 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 32% 39% 43% 43% 35% 39% 40% Disapprove 35 30 25 30 29 34 26 DK/NA 33 31 32 27 36 27 34 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Mar 13 Mar 14 Nov 25 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 Approve 40 48 44 43 48 51 40 Disapprove 29 22 25 30 15 12 29 DK/NA 31 29 31 27 37 37 31 11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way William Thompson is handling his job as City Comptroller? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 48% 42% 50% 46% 43% 62% 43% Disapprove 12 18 11 12 9 13 14 DK/NA 40 39 39 43 47 25 43 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 45% 47% 48% 50% 43% 53% 43% Disapprove 14 14 6 13 16 11 13 DK/NA 41 39 45 36 41 35 44 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way William Thompson is handling his job as City Comptroller? Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Mar 13 Oct 3 Feb 26 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2003 Approve 48 53 51 51 44 53 35 Disapprove 12 13 13 16 11 13 13 DK/NA 40 34 36 33 46 34 52 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the city council is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 41% 42% 42% 39% 42% 38% 42% Disapprove 41 40 41 40 37 49 37 DK/NA 19 18 18 21 21 13 21 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 35% 38% 41% 44% 51% 40% 42% Disapprove 48 42 35 42 32 45 37 DK/NA 17 20 23 15 17 16 21 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the city council is handling its job? * also 50% on 3/13/08 Highest Lowest Approve Approve Nov 25 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 7 Mar 13 Oct 3 Nov 25 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008* 2008 Approve 41 50 43 47 50 50 41 Disapprove 41 31 38 38 29 31 41 DK/NA 19 18 18 16 21 18 19 13. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York City today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Very satisfied 6% 6% 6% 8% 9% 4% 2% Smwht satisfied 42 52 40 45 51 35 38 Smwht dissatisfied 32 24 34 31 27 39 36 Very dissatisfied 18 18 19 16 13 22 24 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 1 - Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very satisfied 4% 5% 9% 5% 4% 8% 5% Smwht satisfied 37 38 52 42 39 47 38 Smwht dissatisfied 30 36 28 34 35 33 32 Very dissatisfied 29 20 10 18 20 12 24 DK/NA - 1 2 1 1 1 1 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York City today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Nov 25 Oct 21 Oct 3 Jul 16 May 8 Nov 19 Apr 12 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2007 2006 Very satisfied 6 14 12 9 8 12 12 Smwht satisfied 42 46 48 48 47 53 56 Smwht dissatisfied 32 24 23 26 28 22 22 Very dissatisfied 18 14 16 15 16 11 9 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 - 2 1 14. What do you think is the most important problem facing New York City today? Tot Economy Total 53% Economy general 20 Unemployment/Jobs 21 Stock market 3 Minimum wage too low 1 Cost of living 5 Business leaving/Outsourcing 1 Housing market/Real estate values 1 Foreclosures/ Mortgage crisis 1 Budget Total 10% Budget general 3 Budget cuts/Cuts in services 2 Budget deficits 3 Budget priorities 1 Budget other 1 Education Total 7% Education general 3 Funding education 3 Education other 1 Mass Transit Total 7% Quality mass transit /Public transport 6 Highway traffic/congestion 1 Housing Total 4% Housing general 1 Housing Costs/Availability 2 Rent control/Stabilization 1 Taxes Total 3% Taxes general 2 Property tax 1 Crime Total 3% Crime/Violence general 3 Police Total 2% Police general 1 Police brutality/Racism 1 Poverty/Homeless 1% Healthcare Total 1% Healthcare/Costs/Ins/HMO's 1 Politicians Total 1% Mayor/Cityleadership 1 Quality of life 1% Terrorism general 1% Other 2% DK/NA 2% TREND: What do you think is the most important problem facing New York City today? Nov 25 Jul 26 Jul 12 Apr 12 Mar 8 Feb 2 2008 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 Budget/Spending Total 10% 1% 2% 2% 1% 1% Budget general 3 1 1 1 1 1 Budget cuts/Cuts in services 2 - 1 - - - Budget deficits 3 - - - - - Budget priorities 1 - - 1 - - Budget other 1 - - - - - Crime Total 3% 10% 12% 11% 12% 11% Crime/Violence general 3 9 10 8 10 9 Economy Total 53% 11% 11% 14% 11% 15% Economy general 20 2 3 3 1 3 Unemployment/jobs 21 4 4 5 5 7 Stock market 3 - - - - - Minimum wage too low 1 - - - - 1 Cost of living 5 5 4 6 5 4 Businesses leaving/Outsourcing 1 - - - - - Housing mrkt/Real estate values 1 Forclosures/Mtg crisis 1 Education Total 7% 16% 19% 24% 25% 25% Education general 3 11 15 19 20 20 Funding education 3 2 2 2 3 3 Education other 1 1 - 1 - - Healthcare Total 1% 2% 1% 1% 2% 1% Healthcare/Costs/Insurance/HMO's 1 2 1 1 2 1 Housing Total 4% 9% 12% 10% 10% 11% Housing general 1 - 1 1 2 3 Housing Costs/Availability 2 8 11 8 8 7 Rent control/Stabilization 1 1 - 1 - 1 Police Total 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% - Police general 1 1 1 1 1 - Police brutality/Racism 1 1 - - - - Politicians/Campaigns Total 1% 2% 2% - 3% - Mayor/City leadership 1 1 1 - 1 - Poverty/Homeless 1% 2% 1 2 3 3 Quality of life 1% 1 - - - - Taxes Total 3% 2% 2% 3% 3% 3% Taxes general 2 1 2 2 2 2 Property tax 1 1 - 1 1 1 Terrorism/Security Total 1% 12% 10% 6% 6% 6% Terrorism general 1 8 6 3 3 3 Security/Safety - 4 4 3 3 3 Transportation Total 7% 9% 2% 3% 3% 4% Better mass trans/Public trans 6 3 2 1 1 2 Traffic congestion (roads/highways) 1 4 - 1 - 1 Other 2 3 5 5 6 6 DK/NA 2 3 4 6 5 5 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the city budget? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 51% 59% 49% 58% 64% 41% 42% Disapprove 38 31 40 32 26 50 45 DK/NA 11 10 11 9 11 9 13 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 41% 45% 62% 54% 53% 59% 45% Disapprove 49 46 25 34 38 33 42 DK/NA 10 9 13 12 9 8 13 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the city budget? Nov 25 Oct 22 Sep 9 May 7 Feb 26 Nov 21 Jul 17 2008 2003 2003 2003 2003 2002 2002 Approve 51% 36 33 28 35 34 47 Disapprove 38 51 59 63 54 53 32 DK/NA 11 13 8 9 10 14 21 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling taxes? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 45% 49% 44% 49% 57% 34% 35% Disapprove 44 43 45 39 32 54 53 DK/NA 11 7 11 12 11 13 12 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 35% 40% 57% 47% 44% 50% 41% Disapprove 54 49 29 43 51 41 46 DK/NA 11 11 15 11 5 9 13 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling taxes? Nov 25 Oct 22 May 7 Feb 26 2008 2003 2003 2003 Approve 45 28 26 32 Disapprove 44 61 67 59 DK/NA 11 11 7 8 20. Would you describe the state of New York City's economy these days as: Excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Excellent - 1% - - - - - Good 12 18 11 13 17 9 10 Not so good 56 54 57 59 56 55 59 Poor 30 25 32 26 26 35 30 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Excellent - 0% 0% 0% - - 0% Good 11 11 14 11 18 16 9 Not so good 52 55 57 61 55 58 55 Poor 36 33 27 28 27 25 35 DK/NA 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 TREND: Would you describe the state of New York City's economy these days as: Excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Nov 25 May 7 Feb 27 2008 2003 2003 Excellent - - 1 Good 12 10 13 Not so good 56 45 52 Poor 30 44 34 DK/NA 1 1 1 21. During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in New York City will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Get better 24% 23% 26% 19% 16% 31% 38% Get worse 45 41 45 47 56 38 29 Stay the same 26 28 25 29 24 27 29 DK/NA 5 8 4 5 4 4 4 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Get better 35% 25% 16% 25% 25% 20% 27% Get worse 34 43 57 46 35 49 42 Stay the same 26 26 23 26 33 26 26 DK/NA 5 6 4 4 8 5 5 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in New York City will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Nov 25 May 7 Feb 27 2008 2003 2003 Get better 24 23 25 Get worse 45 35 32 Stay the same 26 38 38 DK/NA 5 4 4 22. To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, would you prefer: Raising taxes or Cutting government programs and services? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Raising taxes 48% 22% 53% 44% 43% 56% 49% Cutting services 37 67 30 43 44 29 30 DK/NA 15 11 16 13 13 15 21 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Raising taxes 52% 50% 53% 42% 29% 45% 50% Cutting services 29 35 35 43 53 44 32 DK/NA 18 16 12 15 18 12 18 23. To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, which city tax do you think should be increased: Personal income tax, Sales tax or Property tax ? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Income tax 21% 15% 23% 20% 23% 22% 20% Sales tax 44 56 41 44 41 49 44 Property tax 24 17 25 27 26 22 20 DK/NA 11 12 10 9 10 7 15 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Income tax 23% 20% 22% 23% 17% 24% 19% Sales tax 46 45 33 50 50 40 47 Property tax 20 23 36 18 23 29 21 DK/NA 11 13 9 8 11 7 14 24. How serious do you think New York City's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, not at all serious? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Very serious 66% 56% 67% 66% 57% 75% 72% Smwht serious 28 37 28 28 37 20 22 Not too serious 3 5 4 2 3 3 4 Not at all serious 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very serious 71% 64% 63% 69% 57% 63% 68% Smwht serious 25 29 30 27 36 31 27 Not too serious 1 5 5 2 4 5 2 Not at all serious 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 DK/NA 2 2 3 1 2 2 2 TREND: How serious do you think New York City's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, not at all serious? Nov 25 May 7 Feb 27 Nov 21 Jul 17 2008 2003 2003 2002 2002 Very serious 66% 68 63 60 46 Smwht serious 28 24 29 29 41 Not too serious 3 4 5 7 9 Not at all serious 1 1 1 2 1 DK/NA 2 3 2 2 3 25. Do you believe that New York City's budget problems are serious enough that it is necessary to have a tax increase? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Yes 54% 35% 59% 51% 53% 56% 55% No 35 59 31 35 36 36 34 DK/NA 11 6 10 14 11 8 11 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Yes 56% 55% 58% 55% 31% 53% 55% No 33 36 28 37 54 38 33 DK/NA 12 8 14 8 15 9 12 26. Do you believe that New York City's budget problems are serious enough that it is necessary to cut some city services? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Yes 54% 65% 52% 59% 67% 46% 40% No 38 27 41 34 26 46 50 DK/NA 8 8 7 8 7 8 10 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Yes 48% 52% 55% 57% 62% 62% 48% No 42 42 35 36 33 32 43 DK/NA 10 6 10 8 6 6 9 27. To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, where do you think city spending should be decreased - public schools, police, firefighters, sanitation, social services or culture and recreation? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Public schools 3% 6% 3% 3% 4% 4% 1% Police 7 4 8 6 5 8 11 Firefighters 3 3 3 2 2 4 2 Sanitation 6 3 7 6 6 6 7 Social services 12 19 11 15 14 10 12 Culture/recreation 51 51 50 53 54 49 44 DK/NA 18 12 19 15 15 19 23 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Public schools 2% 3% 4% 3% 3% 4% 2% Police 11 5 11 3 11 9 6 Firefighters 4 4 2 1 2 3 2 Sanitation 5 6 4 10 7 6 6 Social services 11 11 13 15 13 15 10 Culture/recreation 40 53 48 55 57 47 53 DK/NA 27 19 18 13 7 15 20 TREND: To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, where do you think city spending should be decreased - public schools, police, firefighters, sanitation, social services or culture and recreation? Nov 25 May 7 2008 2003 Public schools 3% 4 Police 7 6 Firefighters 3 2 Sanitation 6 8 Social services 12 14 Culture/recreation 51 42 DK/NA 18 24 28. Do you think that New York State suburban residents who work in New York City should pay a New York City income tax to help cover the cost of city services or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Yes 72% 57% 74% 74% 71% 73% 75% No 25 38 24 24 27 24 21 DK/NA 3 5 3 2 2 3 4 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Yes 78% 70% 70% 73% 68% 74% 70% No 19 28 25 26 29 24 26 DK/NA 2 3 5 1 3 2 4 TREND: Do you think that New York State suburban residents who work in New York City should pay a New York City income tax to help cover the cost of city services or not? Nov 25 Feb 27 2008 2003 Yes 72% 73 No 25 25 DK/NA 3 3 29. Some people have suggested that New York City should place tolls on the free East River bridges. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Good idea 28% 23% 29% 28% 33% 24% 23% Bad idea 68 73 67 69 63 73 72 DK/NA 4 4 4 3 4 2 5 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Good idea 28% 21% 38% 25% 38% 27% 29% Bad idea 71 75 55 73 58 71 66 DK/NA 1 4 8 2 4 2 5 TREND: Some people have suggested that New York City should place tolls on the free East River bridges. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Nov 25 Jan 18 Feb 27 Mar 28 2008 2007 2003 2002 Good idea 28 17 31 19 Bad idea 68 78 65 76 DK/NA 4 5 4 6 30. To help with New York City's budget problems, there is a proposal to cancel a $400 property tax rebate mailed to homeowners at about this time every year. Do you support or oppose this proposal to cancel a $400 property tax rebate? Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Support 43% 37% 43% 47% 56% 33% 36% Oppose 52 58 52 48 41 63 54 DK/NA 5 5 5 5 3 4 10 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Support 35% 42% 56% 38% 31% 46% 40% Oppose 59 54 36 57 65 50 54 DK/NA 6 4 7 5 4 4 6 HOME OWNERS Renters Support 44% 42% Oppose 54 50 DK/NA 2 7
