May 11, 2011 - Bad Grades On Schools Keep Bloomberg Approval Low, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Expect New Schools Chancellor To Do A Good Job Word format Plagued by low grades for his handling of public schools and the city budget, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets a negative 40 - 49 percent approval rating from voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. This compares with Mayor Bloomberg's negative 39 - 51 percent approval rating in a March 16 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. Today, New York City voters disapprove 64 - 25 percent of the way Bloomberg is handling public schools, unchanged from March 16, shortly before he fired Schools Chancellor Cathleen Black. Voters with children in public schools disapprove 78 - 20 percent. New Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott gets a 31 - 21 percent approval rating, with 48 percent still undecided. But voters say 50 - 32 percent that Walcott will improve the quality of education in the next three years. "Mayor Mike, you said you wanted to be the 'Education Mayor,' but New Yorkers don't think you've learned how to do it. They give you a low grade on education and they think your takeover of the schools has been a flop," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Even the removal of an historically unpopular schools chancellor doesn't seem to be moving the approval needle. "After just a few weeks in office, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott isn't getting rave reviews, but voters are hopeful. And maybe Mayor Bloomberg is hopeful that he and Walcott can polish up the Bloomberg legacy. "Only 3 percent of New Yorkers think Bloomberg's third term is better than the first two, while 48 percent say it's about the same and 47 percent say it's worse." New York City voters say 50 - 42 percent that Bloomberg has lost focus in his third term. Still, voters like Mayor Bloomberg more than they like his policies: 33 percent like him as a person and like his policies; 28 percent like him, but not his policies; 7 percent like his policies, but not him; 26 percent don't like him or his policies. "After nine years, voters seem to like Bloomberg more as a person," Carroll added. New York City voters say 57 - 23 percent that the mayor's takeover of the public schools has been mainly a failure rather than a success. Voters disapprove 52 - 36 percent of the way Bloomberg is handling the city budget, although 90 percent say the city's budget problems are "very serious" or "somewhat serious." Opinion on budget-related issues are: Voters say 56 - 34 percent they would rather raise taxes than cut services; Voters oppose city employee layoffs 66 - 28 percent; Voters support city employee furloughs 45 - 39 percent; Voters support a wage freeze for city workers 59 - 37 percent; Voters oppose reduced pension benefits for new city workers 48 - 44 percent. By a 53 - 18 percent margin, New York City voters have a favorable opinion of public school teachers, but split 43 - 44 percent on whether teacher unions are playing a positive or negative role in improving public schools. Teacher layoffs should be based on performance rather than seniority, New York City voters say 82 - 13 percent. All groups support this idea by similarly strong margins. "Bloomberg has won the public opinion fight over LIFO. Overwhelmingly, New Yorkers think teacher layoffs should be based on performance, not seniority, that last-in-first-out should not be the rule," Carroll said. All other city-wide officials have high approval ratings: 52 - 24 percent for Council Speaker Christine Quinn; 57 - 14 percent for City Comptroller John Liu, his highest score ever; 40 - 18 percent for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. From May 4 - 9, Quinnipiac University surveyed 962 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 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 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. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 40% 41% 38% 48% 50% 31% 31% 30% Disapprove 49 50 51 43 41 57 58 62 DK/NA 10 9 11 9 8 12 11 8 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 33% 26% 40% 56% 41% 20% 46% 35% Disapprove 60 62 50 36 50 62 44 54 DK/NA 8 12 10 8 9 17 9 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor? (*High also 75% Oct 2008, Mar 2008, Jan 2007 & Nov 2005) APPROVE....... DIS.. High Low High May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Jun 30 Oct 21 Jul 02 Jul 02 2011 2011 2010 2010 2008* 2003 2003 Approve 40 39 55 57 75 31 31 Disapprove 49 51 35 33 20 60 60 DK/NA 10 10 11 10 6 8 8 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dennis Walcott is handling his job as New York City Schools Chancellor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 31% 25% 32% 31% 29% 40% 26% 29% Disapprove 21 22 22 18 14 20 36 25 DK/NA 48 53 46 51 57 40 38 46 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 30% 27% 29% 33% 35% 27% 32% 30% Disapprove 32 25 17 22 23 24 20 23 DK/NA 38 48 54 45 42 49 48 47 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Public Advocate? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 40% 41% 42% 36% 40% 43% 40% 44% Disapprove 18 23 16 21 14 20 24 19 DK/NA 42 37 42 43 47 37 36 37 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 37% 49% 42% 39% 35% 34% 38% 42% Disapprove 22 17 20 13 22 16 18 18 DK/NA 41 34 38 49 42 49 44 40 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Public Advocate? May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010 Approve 40 44 36 35 34 37 Disapprove 18 16 16 17 16 13 DK/NA 42 40 48 48 50 50 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 52% 41% 59% 46% 54% 58% 41% 50% Disapprove 24 37 16 32 25 19 29 25 DK/NA 24 22 25 22 21 23 31 25 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 48% 60% 49% 54% 52% 43% 48% 56% Disapprove 28 24 24 22 24 26 28 20 DK/NA 25 17 26 24 24 31 24 24 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? APPROVE....... High Low May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Jun 30 May 21 Mar 16 Nov 25 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2011 2008 Approve 52 55 50 45 44 55 40 Disapprove 24 25 24 27 26 25 29 DK/NA 24 20 26 28 30 20 31 6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Liu is handling his job as City Comptroller? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 57% 54% 58% 59% 51% 62% 54% 56% Disapprove 14 23 12 11 13 15 17 14 DK/NA 30 24 30 30 36 23 28 30 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 57% 61% 63% 50% 56% 45% 58% 55% Disapprove 24 13 11 14 16 18 15 13 DK/NA 19 25 26 35 28 37 27 32 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Liu is handling his job as City Comptroller? May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010 Approve 57 54 48 47 49 44 Disapprove 14 16 16 17 13 11 DK/NA 30 30 37 36 38 45 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 73% 19% 91% 64% 61% 95% 79% 72% Disapprove 23 80 6 29 36 3 18 24 DK/NA 3 1 3 7 3 3 3 4 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 85% 81% 73% 76% 72% 51% 68% 78% Disapprove 11 17 24 22 23 39 29 18 DK/NA 4 2 2 2 5 10 3 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? APPROVE....... High Low May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Feb 17 Aug 26 Jun 16 Nov 23 2011 2011 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 Approve 73 70 66 72 76 79 66 Disapprove 23 26 30 25 19 16 30 DK/NA 3 4 4 3 5 6 4 8. 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? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Very satisfied 6% 3% 7% 5% 8% 3% 7% 3% Smwht satisfied 44 38 46 45 50 47 35 42 Smwht dissatisfied 28 31 26 33 28 29 33 30 Very dissatisfied 20 28 19 15 14 21 23 22 DK/NA 1 - 1 2 1 - 1 2 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very satisfied 6% 6% 6% 11% 3% 5% 8% 5% Smwht satisfied 35 36 43 52 47 29 44 44 Smwht dissatisfied 39 28 31 22 28 44 27 30 Very dissatisfied 19 29 18 14 22 16 20 19 DK/NA - - 2 1 1 5 2 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? VERY+SMWHT... High Low May 11 Mar 16 Nov 23 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 11 Jul 02 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 1998 2003 Very satisfied 6 5 6 6 7 18 7 Smwht satisfied 44 41 44 43 44 58 23 Smwht dissatisfied 28 33 31 30 32 18 32 Very dissatisfied 20 20 19 20 16 5 38 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 9. Which one of the following statements comes closest to the way you feel about Michael Bloomberg - A) I like Michael Bloomberg as a person and I also like most of his policies B) I like Michael Bloomberg as a person but I don't like most of his policies C) I don't like Michael Bloomberg as a person but I do like most of his policies D) I don't like Michael Bloomberg as a person and I also don't like most of his policies Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Person/Policies 33% 32% 32% 37% 42% 24% 28% 19% Person/Not policies 28 27 30 21 22 37 28 32 Policies/Not person 7 9 6 7 8 5 6 10 Not Pol/Not person 26 27 26 25 23 27 34 34 DK/NA 6 4 5 10 5 7 4 6 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Person/Policies 31% 24% 31% 45% 32% 21% 36% 30% Person/Not policies 33 31 32 22 31 17 25 31 Policies/Not person 2 4 7 9 6 7 8 5 Not Pol/Not person 31 32 24 21 29 36 25 28 DK/NA 3 9 7 3 3 20 6 6 10. Do you think Mayor Bloomberg is doing a better job in his third term than he did in his first two terms, a worse job, or about the same job as he did in his first two terms? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Better job 3% 4% 4% 3% 2% 5% 5% 3% Worse job 47 54 46 44 43 49 46 61 About the same 48 41 48 52 52 46 45 36 DK/NA 2 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Better job 5% 5% 3% 3% 4% 1% 5% 2% Worse job 49 48 47 43 46 54 45 48 About the same 44 46 49 51 46 43 49 47 DK/NA 2 2 1 3 4 2 1 3 11. Do you think Mayor Bloomberg has lost his focus or kept his focus during his third term? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Lost focus 50% 51% 50% 49% 40% 58% 57% 58% Kept focus 42 44 42 39 52 34 35 34 DK/NA 8 5 8 11 8 8 8 8 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Lost focus 60% 61% 45% 46% 50% 54% 45% 54% Kept focus 34 32 44 50 41 36 46 39 DK/NA 5 7 11 4 9 10 9 8 12. Do you think Mayor Bloomberg's involvement in national issues, such as immigration reform and gun control - is good for the city because these issues ultimately benefit New Yorkers or do you think this involvement distracts him from the day to day business of running the city. Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Good for city 59% 42% 63% 61% 60% 61% 55% 51% Distracts from city 33 53 29 31 32 30 35 37 DK/NA 8 5 8 8 8 8 10 12 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Good for city 61% 64% 60% 66% 48% 55% 58% 59% Distracts from city 32 30 31 27 41 36 35 30 DK/NA 7 6 9 7 11 9 6 10 TREND: Do you think Mayor Bloomberg's involvement in national issues, such as immigration reform and gun control is good for the city because these issues ultimately benefit New Yorkers or do you think this involvement distracts him from the day to day business of running the city? May 11 Mar 16 2011 2011 Good for city 59 67 Distracts from city 33 28 DK/NA 8 5 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the public schools? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 25% 34% 22% 27% 32% 20% 19% 16% Disapprove 64 55 68 61 53 72 73 78 DK/NA 11 10 10 12 15 8 8 7 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 20% 23% 20% 32% 26% 22% 31% 19% Disapprove 78 71 67 54 64 70 58 69 DK/NA 1 6 13 14 10 7 11 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the public schools? (*Low Approve also 25% Mar 2011) (**High Disapprove also 64% Mar 2011) APPROVE....... DIS.. High Low High May 11 Mar 18 Nov 23 Jul 29 Jul 29 May 11 May 11 2011 2011 2010 2009 2009 2011* 2011** Approve 25 25 41 57 57 25 25 Disapprove 64 64 48 30 30 64 64 DK/NA 11 11 11 13 13 11 11 17. Do you think Mayor Bloomberg's take-over of the public schools has been a success or failure? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Success 23% 30% 20% 29% 29% 14% 24% 15% Failure 57 54 63 49 47 65 67 69 DK/NA 19 16 17 22 24 21 9 16 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Success 21% 19% 19% 30% 24% 26% 30% 17% Failure 65 65 60 50 57 56 51 63 DK/NA 14 16 22 20 19 18 19 20 TREND: Do you think Mayor Bloomberg's take-over of the public schools has been a success or failure? SUCCESS....... High Low May 11 Jul 29 Jun 17 Mar 24 Feb 25 Jul 29 May 11 2011 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 2011 Success 23 56 49 46 50 56 23 Failure 57 24 29 33 31 24 57 DK/NA 19 20 22 22 19 20 19 18. During the next three years, do you expect New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott to make substantial progress or not in improving the quality of education in the public schools in New York City? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Yes 50% 38% 54% 44% 46% 59% 49% 50% No 32 44 27 39 34 24 38 37 DK/NA 18 19 19 16 20 17 13 12 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Yes 59% 58% 45% 43% 58% 45% 44% 55% No 24 25 35 34 29 35 38 27 DK/NA 17 17 19 22 12 20 18 18 19. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the city budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Approve 36% 38% 36% 38% 48% 27% 25% 26% Disapprove 52 52 52 52 39 59 66 63 DK/NA 12 9 13 9 13 14 9 12 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 30% 21% 37% 48% 37% 24% 44% 29% Disapprove 65 66 51 40 51 66 46 57 DK/NA 5 13 12 12 12 10 10 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling the city budget? (*High also 55% Jan 2009) APPROVE....... High Low May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 Feb 17 May 07 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2010* 2003 Approve 36 37 45 47 55 55 28 Disapprove 52 53 47 44 35 35 63 DK/NA 12 10 9 9 10 10 9 20. To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, would you prefer - raising taxes or cutting government programs and services? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Raising taxes 56% 25% 64% 57% 47% 68% 59% 56% Cutting services 34 68 25 36 43 17 33 33 DK/NA 11 6 11 7 10 15 8 11 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Raising taxes 60% 53% 56% 61% 57% 37% 53% 58% Cutting services 31 34 35 33 30 44 39 29 DK/NA 9 14 9 6 13 18 9 12 TREND: To balance the city budget, if you had to choose, would you prefer raising taxes or cutting government programs and services? RAISE TAXES... High Low May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 May 11 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2011 2010 Raising taxes 56 49 48 45 43 56 43 Cutting services 34 35 36 40 45 34 45 DK/NA 11 16 16 14 13 11 13 21. How serious do you think New York City's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, not at all serious? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Very serious 59% 61% 63% 50% 50% 64% 70% 56% Smwht serious 31 30 29 39 41 23 24 32 Not too serious 6 7 6 9 6 10 5 8 Not at all serious 1 - 2 2 - 1 1 3 DK/NA 1 3 1 1 2 1 - 1 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very serious 63% 68% 59% 52% 64% 48% 53% 66% Smwht serious 25 24 30 40 28 38 37 26 Not too serious 7 5 8 6 5 8 7 6 Not at all serious 4 2 1 - 2 1 3 - DK/NA - - 1 2 1 4 1 2 TREND: How serious do you think New York City's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not at all serious? (*High also 95% Jan 2009) VERY+SMWHT.... High Low May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 Feb 25 Jul 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2009* 2002 Very serious 59 51 65 60 53 61 46 Smwht serious 31 38 27 30 39 34 41 Not too serious 6 8 4 6 5 3 9 Not at all serious 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 DK/NA 1 2 1 2 1 1 3 22. To help balance the city budget would you support or oppose - layoffs for city employees? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Support 28% 53% 21% 33% 41% 12% 24% 17% Oppose 66 40 75 60 53 84 71 78 DK/NA 6 7 4 7 6 4 6 6 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Support 21% 13% 31% 36% 26% 23% 37% 19% Oppose 77 79 64 56 71 71 58 74 DK/NA 2 8 5 8 3 6 5 6 TREND: To help balance the city budget would you support or oppose layoffs for city employees? May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 Support 28 27 27 32 32 Oppose 66 67 68 63 63 DK/NA 6 5 5 6 5 23. To help balance the city budget would you support or oppose - furloughs for city employees? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Support 45% 64% 40% 48% 50% 36% 45% 35% Oppose 39 25 42 39 37 47 37 54 DK/NA 16 11 18 13 13 17 18 11 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Support 41% 39% 45% 47% 46% 42% 49% 41% Oppose 43 41 37 41 38 43 39 39 DK/NA 16 20 17 12 16 15 12 20 TREND: To help balance the city budget would you support or oppose furloughs for city employees? May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 Support 45 45 51 50 50 Oppose 39 40 36 41 34 DK/NA 16 15 13 9 16 24. To help balance the city budget, would you support or oppose - a wage freeze for city workers? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Support 59% 73% 55% 61% 66% 54% 52% 47% Oppose 37 24 40 37 31 41 43 49 DK/NA 4 3 5 3 3 5 6 4 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Support 50% 56% 56% 64% 62% 51% 61% 57% Oppose 44 40 40 32 34 42 38 36 DK/NA 6 5 4 4 4 7 2 6 TREND: To help balance the city budget, would you support or oppose a wage freeze for city workers? May 11 Mar 18 Jun 30 May 21 Feb 17 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 Support 59 61 62 60 63 Oppose 37 33 33 35 31 DK/NA 4 5 5 5 6 25. To help balance the city budget, would you support or oppose - reducing pension benefits for new city workers? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Support 44% 66% 36% 52% 60% 31% 33% 38% Oppose 48 32 55 42 36 57 59 57 DK/NA 7 2 9 6 4 12 8 5 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Support 41% 36% 46% 54% 39% 45% 53% 37% Oppose 54 58 44 40 57 46 43 53 DK/NA 5 6 10 7 4 9 4 10 TREND: To help balance the city budget, would you support or oppose - reducing pension benefits for new city workers? May 11 Mar 18 2011 2011 Support 44 50 Oppose 48 44 DK/NA 7 6 26. Is your opinion of New York City's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about them? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Favorable 53% 35% 58% 53% 53% 49% 53% 67% Unfavorable 18 34 14 22 21 18 16 15 Hvn't hrd enough 26 29 26 24 24 30 27 15 REFUSED 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 3 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Favorable 69% 47% 55% 52% 54% 55% 50% 55% Unfavorable 19 24 18 18 14 21 20 17 Hvn't hrd enough 12 27 25 24 28 23 27 25 REFUSED - 2 2 6 3 1 2 3 TREND: Is your opinion of New York City's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about them? May 11 Mar 18 2011 2011 Favorable 53 54 Unfavorable 18 17 Hvn't hrd enough 26 25 REFUSED 3 4 27. Generally speaking, do you believe the teachers' unions are playing a positive or a negative role in improving New York City's educational system? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Positive 43% 27% 49% 43% 40% 56% 39% 52% Negative 44 69 37 47 49 30 46 35 DK/NA 13 5 14 10 11 15 15 14 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Positive 55% 49% 42% 35% 51% 41% 40% 47% Negative 37 37 45 54 37 40 50 38 DK/NA 8 14 13 11 12 19 10 15 TREND: Generally speaking, do you believe the teacher's union is playing a positive or a negative role in improving New York City's educational system? May 11 Mar 18 Sep 22 Feb 12 2011 2011 2005 1998 Positive 43 46 48 45 Negative 44 41 29 32 DK/NA 13 13 22 23 28. Some people say that public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be rewarded with additional pay - so called merit pay. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Good idea 66% 70% 67% 64% 69% 65% 60% 50% Bad idea 31 29 29 32 26 32 38 46 DK/NA 3 1 4 3 4 4 2 4 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Good idea 59% 60% 67% 70% 66% 64% 67% 65% Bad idea 40 34 30 26 32 35 28 33 DK/NA 1 6 3 4 3 1 5 2 TREND: Some people say that public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be rewarded with additional pay - so called merit pay. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? May 11 Mar 18 2011 2011 Good idea 66 63 Bad idea 31 33 DK/NA 3 4 29. Some people have suggested that firing public school teachers should be made easier. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Good idea 59% 81% 55% 62% 72% 47% 45% 52% Bad idea 34 17 37 30 22 46 45 39 DK/NA 7 2 7 8 5 7 10 8 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Good idea 56% 48% 60% 67% 56% 58% 63% 55% Bad idea 40 45 31 28 36 36 32 35 DK/NA 5 7 9 5 8 6 5 9 TREND: Some people have suggested that firing public school teachers should be made easier. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? May 11 Mar 18 2011 2011 Good idea 59 54 Bad idea 34 40 DK/NA 7 6 30. If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should lay off teachers based on their performance or based on seniority? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Seniority 13% 13% 12% 14% 12% 13% 15% 23% Performance 82 86 83 80 85 83 78 68 DK/NA 5 1 4 6 4 4 7 9 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Seniority 11% 16% 13% 13% 12% 12% 15% 11% Performance 84 77 83 84 81 85 80 84 DK/NA 6 6 4 3 7 3 4 5 TREND: If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should lay off teachers based on their performance or based on seniority? May 11 Mar 18 2011 2011 Seniority 13 16 Performance 82 78 DK/NA 5 5 31. When Michael Bloomberg leaves office, do you think that the next mayor should retain complete control of the public schools, should share control with an independent school board, or should give up all control of the public schools? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp HsHld Retain control 18% 24% 14% 21% 24% 10% 23% 12% Share control 58 49 63 54 57 65 48 57 Give up control 17 20 16 19 13 19 21 23 DK/NA 7 7 7 6 6 6 8 8 HvKids PubSch Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Retain control 9% 15% 14% 26% 17% 13% 22% 14% Share control 60 52 62 60 52 64 56 59 Give up control 24 21 16 11 23 19 16 19 DK/NA 6 12 8 3 8 5 6 8 TREND: When Michael Bloomberg leaves office, do you think that the next mayor should retain complete control of the public schools, should share control with an independent school board, or should give up all control of the public schools? May 11 Jul 16 Jul 26 2011 2008 2007 Retain control 18 29 28 Share control 58 55 51 Give up control 17 8 9 DK/NA 7 7 11
