April 10, 2013 - 82% Of New Yorkers Say Big Apple Is Rotten, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Quinn Slips But She And Lhota Still Lead In Primaries Word format PDF format New York City government corruption is a "very serious" problem, 40 percent of voters say, while another 42 percent say it is "somewhat serious," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Findings are similar across party, gender, race, age and income lines. But 56 percent of voters tell the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll that New York City has about as much corruption as other big cities, while 18 percent say there is more corruption in the Big Apple and 18 percent say less. The Republican Party is more identified with corruption than the Democratic Party, New York City voters say 38 - 26 percent, while 36 percent are undecided. Democrats blame Republicans 48 - 18 percent, while Republicans blame Democrats 58 - 21 percent. Independent voters point the finger at Democrats 31 - 25 percent, with 44 percent undecided. "Those news pictures of politicians in handcuffs clearly struck a nerve. Nor did it fail to impress New Yorkers that, although some of the bad stuff occurred in Albany, it was city people who were accused," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "But New Yorkers are jaded, or maybe cynical, people. We're pretty much like everybody else when it comes to crooked politics, voters say. "Republicans are a small minority in New York politics, but more voters, especially Democrats, think the GOP leads when it comes to corruption." Former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair Joseph Lhota leads the Republican mayoral primary field with 23 percent, followed by Doe Fund founder George McDonald at 11 percent and businessman John Catsimatidis with 8 percent. Another 52 percent are undecided. The percentages of all voters who don't know enough about the Republican contenders to form a favorable or unfavorable opinion ranges from 65 percent to 90 percent. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn leads the Democratic primary for mayor with 32 percent, compared to 37 percent in a February 27 Quinnipiac University poll and her lowest number in five months. Results for other Democratic contenders are: 14 percent for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; 13 percent for former City Comptroller William Thompson; 7 percent for City Comptroller John Liu. Lhota trails any of the Democrats in head-to-head matchups by substantial margins: Quinn leads 59 - 19 percent; de Blasio is up 55 - 18 percent; Thompson is ahead 55 - 17 percent; Liu leads 52 - 20 percent. New York City voters approve 59 - 22 percent of the job Quinn is doing and give her a 49 - 24 percent favorability rating. Approval and favorability ratings for other candidates are: Liu: 48 - 22 percent approval and 31 - 21 percent favorability; de Blasio: 50 - 15 percent approval and 34 - 11 percent favorability, with 52 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion; Thompson: 36 - 10 percent favorability with 53 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion. There is no job approval since he does not hold public office. "Springtime brings the first tiny hints of movement in the mayoral race, which has been frozen throughout the fall and winter," Carroll said. "Council Speaker Christine Quinn is still on top, but she's lost a step. "Former MTA head Joseph Lhota is ahead among the handful of Republican voters. No one knows the other Republicans, John Catsimatidis and George McDonald. From April 3 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,417 New York City voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The survey includes 925 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points, and 188 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 7.2 percentage points. 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, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, or call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. (If Registered Democrat) If the Democratic primary for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were: John Liu, Christine Quinn, William Thompson, and Bill de Blasio, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED DEMOCRATS Tot Men Wom Liu 7% 7% 7% Quinn 32 31 34 Thompson 13 16 10 de Blasio 14 17 12 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 3 2 DK/NA 30 25 34 TREND: (If Registered Democrat) If the Democratic primary for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were: John Liu, Christine Quinn, William Thompson, and Bill de Blasio, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED DEMOCRATS.......................... Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 Nov 21 Aug 15 May 10 2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 Liu 7 9 9 5 9 7 Quinn 32 37 35 32 29 26 Thompson 13 11 10 10 10 13 de Blasio 14 14 11 9 9 10 Stringer na na na 4 4 4 Allon na na na na 1 2 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - 1 1 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 2 2 2 DK/NA 30 27 31 37 34 34 2. (If Registered Republican) If the Republican primary for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were: Joseph Lhota, John Catsimatidis, and George McDonald, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPUBLICANS Tot Men Wom Lhota 23% 29% 17% Catsimatidis 8 12 4 McDonald 11 4 18 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 6 1 DK/NA 52 47 58 TREND: (If Registered Republican) If the Republican primary for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were: Joseph Lhota, John Catsimatidis, and George McDonald, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPUBLICANS Apr 10 Jan 16 2013 2013 Lhota 23 23 Catsimatidis 8 9 McDonald 11 2 Carrion na 3 Allon na 5 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 5 DK/NA 52 53 3. If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Christine Quinn the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Quinn 59% 15% 78% 44% 58% 60% 49% 73% 65% Lhota 19 67 6 26 25 13 31 5 12 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - 1 3 1 2 2 3 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 3 3 7 4 6 4 5 5 DK/NA 16 14 12 20 12 19 14 14 17 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Quinn 60% 59% 63% 64% 55% 61% 62% 58% Lhota 19 18 14 20 25 18 18 20 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 2 1 - 2 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 5 5 4 6 5 5 4 DK/NA 14 17 18 11 13 15 14 15 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Quinn 65% 55% 63% 60% 50% Lhota 14 23 16 16 28 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 4 5 5 9 DK/NA 14 16 14 18 13 TREND: If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Christine Quinn the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Quinn 59 63 62 Lhota 19 19 17 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 3 3 DK/NA 16 13 16 4. If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were William Thompson the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Thompson 55% 12% 72% 43% 56% 55% 42% 76% 62% Lhota 17 72 6 18 23 13 30 2 12 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 1 3 7 4 5 4 4 4 DK/NA 21 15 17 30 16 25 22 17 20 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Thompson 57% 54% 60% 55% 53% 59% 56% 54% Lhota 17 18 12 21 25 20 15 19 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 5 5 5 4 3 5 4 DK/NA 20 22 21 18 17 18 22 21 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Thompson 62% 54% 57% 56% 37% Lhota 14 19 17 14 31 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 2 1 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 4 4 4 9 DK/NA 18 21 20 25 20 TREND: If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were William Thompson the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Thompson 55 55 55 Lhota 17 20 19 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 4 4 DK/NA 21 20 20 5. If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Bill de Blasio the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp de Blasio 55% 15% 71% 44% 52% 58% 47% 73% 59% Lhota 18 70 7 22 23 14 28 5 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 1 3 8 5 5 3 5 7 DK/NA 19 15 17 24 17 21 19 16 17 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ de Blasio 57% 54% 59% 58% 53% 57% 56% 54% Lhota 18 18 14 21 23 20 18 18 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 2 1 4 1 3 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 6 5 5 4 5 5 4 DK/NA 19 20 19 15 16 17 19 20 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl de Blasio 61% 56% 58% 52% 37% Lhota 14 18 16 18 38 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 2 4 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 5 4 5 6 DK/NA 18 19 19 21 16 TREND: If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Bill de Blasio the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 de Blasio 55 58 57 Lhota 18 18 17 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 4 4 DK/NA 19 18 20 6. If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were John Liu the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Liu 52% 14% 67% 40% 52% 52% 38% 69% 58% Lhota 20 71 9 24 25 16 36 4 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 - 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 6 1 3 10 4 7 5 7 5 DK/NA 19 13 18 22 16 22 19 16 20 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Liu 55% 51% 58% 55% 48% 52% 57% 51% Lhota 22 19 14 25 29 21 19 21 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 2 2 1 4 3 2 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 7 6 4 6 6 5 6 DK/NA 15 22 20 16 13 18 17 20 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Liu 60% 51% 52% 53% 45% Lhota 14 21 22 19 30 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 2 3 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 6 6 5 6 7 DK/NA 18 20 18 21 16 TREND: If the election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were John Liu the Democrat and Joseph Lhota the Republican, for whom would you vote? Apr 10 Feb 27 2013 2013 Liu 52 53 Lhota 20 22 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 6 4 DK/NA 19 18 7. Is your opinion of John Liu favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 31% 23% 35% 28% 34% 28% 26% 43% 26% Unfavorable 21 29 16 28 26 17 33 9 10 Hvn't hrd enough 46 46 47 43 39 52 40 46 61 REFUSED 2 1 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 TREND: Is your opinion of John Liu favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 31 34 28 Unfavorable 21 23 24 Hvn't hrd enough 46 42 46 REFUSED 2 2 2 8. Is your opinion of Christine Quinn favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 49% 27% 58% 41% 46% 51% 45% 61% 44% Unfavorable 24 49 14 34 29 20 36 13 12 Hvn't hrd enough 25 23 26 22 23 27 17 24 43 REFUSED 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Christine Quinn favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 49 51 54 Unfavorable 24 21 18 Hvn't hrd enough 25 27 26 REFUSED 2 1 2 9. Is your opinion of William Thompson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 36% 21% 41% 34% 42% 30% 31% 48% 28% Unfavorable 10 13 8 13 11 9 12 7 8 Hvn't hrd enough 53 65 50 53 46 59 55 44 62 REFUSED 2 1 1 - 1 2 2 1 3 TREND: Is your opinion of William Thompson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? (*High also 38% July 2009) FAVORABLE..... High Low Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 Aug 26 Jul 28 Aug 26 Feb 24 2013 2013 2013 2009 2009 2009* 2009 Favorable 36 34 31 38 38 38 22 Unfavorable 10 10 10 10 9 10 5 Hvn't hrd enough 53 55 57 51 52 51 71 REFUSED 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 10. Is your opinion of Bill de Blasio favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 34% 31% 37% 31% 37% 32% 40% 38% 24% Unfavorable 11 19 10 12 15 8 14 7 12 Hvn't hrd enough 52 47 52 53 47 56 44 54 63 REFUSED 2 3 1 3 1 3 2 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Bill de Blasio favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 34 39 35 Unfavorable 11 13 11 Hvn't hrd enough 52 46 52 REFUSED 2 2 2 11. Is your opinion of Joseph Lhota favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 19% 40% 14% 20% 23% 16% 24% 12% 19% Unfavorable 14 4 16 16 15 13 17 10 10 Hvn't hrd enough 65 54 69 62 61 69 57 76 71 REFUSED 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of Joseph Lhota favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 19 18 19 Unfavorable 14 15 11 Hvn't hrd enough 65 66 69 REFUSED 1 1 1 12. Is your opinion of John Catsimatidis favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 7% 19% 4% 9% 8% 6% 9% 4% 6% Unfavorable 10 4 11 9 11 8 13 5 6 Hvn't hrd enough 82 75 85 79 80 84 77 89 86 REFUSED 2 3 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 TREND: Is your opinion of John Catsimatidis favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 7 5 5 Unfavorable 10 8 7 Hvn't hrd enough 82 86 87 REFUSED 2 1 1 13. Is your opinion of George McDonald favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Favorable 4% 7% 4% 4% 4% 4% 5% 2% 4% Unfavorable 5 2 5 7 4 5 4 6 3 Hvn't hrd enough 90 91 91 89 91 90 91 91 90 REFUSED 1 1 1 - - 2 1 1 3 TREND: Is your opinion of George McDonald favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 2013 2013 2013 Favorable 4 3 5 Unfavorable 5 2 5 Hvn't hrd enough 90 93 90 REFUSED 1 1 1 17. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Public Advocate? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 50% 46% 55% 45% 50% 50% 52% 55% 46% Disapprove 15 19 13 18 19 12 14 15 15 DK/NA 34 36 32 37 30 38 34 30 39 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 53% 48% 50% 54% 53% 55% 48% 49% Disapprove 15 16 13 19 17 13 19 15 DK/NA 32 36 37 27 30 32 33 36 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Approve 51% 55% 50% 46% 44% Disapprove 18 13 13 19 18 DK/NA 31 32 38 35 38 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Public Advocate? (*High also 50% Feb 2013) APPROVE....... High Low Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 Nov 21 Aug 15 Apr 10 May 21 2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2013 2010 Approve 50 50 48 49 45 50 34 Disapprove 15 19 16 14 16 15 16 DK/NA 34 31 36 37 39 34 50 18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 59% 39% 68% 53% 57% 60% 53% 72% 58% Disapprove 22 44 14 31 27 18 32 13 13 DK/NA 19 17 19 17 16 22 15 15 29 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 59% 59% 60% 64% 59% 67% 61% 54% Disapprove 27 19 17 24 28 14 22 27 DK/NA 14 22 23 12 13 19 17 18 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Approve 55% 57% 62% 62% 54% Disapprove 20 23 22 20 30 DK/NA 24 20 16 19 16 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Quinn is handling her job as City Council Speaker? APPROVE....... High Low Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 Nov 21 Aug 15 Nov 21 Nov 25 2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012 2008 Approve 59 60 64 65 56 65 40 Disapprove 22 24 18 18 27 18 29 DK/NA 19 16 18 18 17 18 31 19. Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Liu is handling his job as City Comptroller? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 48% 46% 52% 45% 52% 45% 42% 61% 48% Disapprove 22 27 19 27 26 19 29 14 18 DK/NA 30 27 29 28 22 36 29 25 35 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 45% 50% 51% 54% 44% 51% 48% 48% Disapprove 30 17 15 25 32 17 26 23 DK/NA 25 33 33 21 23 32 26 29 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Approve 49% 47% 43% 53% 52% Disapprove 20 22 24 23 21 DK/NA 31 31 33 24 27 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Liu is handling his job as City Comptroller? APPROVE....... High Low Apr 10 Feb 27 Jan 16 Nov 21 Aug 15 May 11 Dec 15 2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2011 2011 Approve 48 50 46 48 43 57 38 Disapprove 22 26 27 22 31 14 35 DK/NA 30 25 27 30 26 30 27 21. How much of a problem, if at all, is government corruption in New York City today; is it a very serious problem, a somewhat serious problem, a not too serious problem, or not a problem at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very serious problem 40% 44% 38% 43% 40% 41% 36% 49% 43% Smwht serious 42 40 44 43 41 43 45 38 39 Not too serious 13 9 14 12 14 11 13 10 12 Not a problem at all 2 3 2 1 2 2 2 1 3 DK/NA 3 4 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Very serious problem 35% 44% 46% 36% 33% 31% 40% 46% Smwht serious 45 41 38 51 44 46 44 39 Not too serious 15 11 13 10 19 18 12 10 Not a problem at all 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 DK/NA 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Very serious problem 41% 42% 41% 37% 40% Smwht serious 46 43 37 45 41 Not too serious 10 11 15 14 16 Not a problem at all 1 1 3 2 2 DK/NA 2 4 3 3 1 22. Compared to other major cities in the country, do you think there is more government corruption than in other cities, less government corruption or about as much government corruption? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp More 18% 23% 15% 22% 23% 13% 17% 17% 20% Less 18 15 19 17 19 17 17 12 20 About as much 56 54 58 53 51 61 58 61 53 DK/NA 8 9 8 7 8 9 8 10 8 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ More 16% 19% 18% 17% 18% 23% 16% 16% Less 20 16 15 17 23 18 19 17 About as much 57 56 58 59 55 54 59 57 DK/NA 7 9 8 7 4 5 6 11 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl More 18% 17% 19% 15% 20% Less 17 16 20 19 13 About as much 50 58 54 59 61 DK/NA 15 9 7 7 6 23. In general, which party do you associate more with political corruption in New York City, the Democratic party or the Republican party? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Democratic party 26% 58% 18% 31% 30% 23% 32% 19% 25% Republican party 38 21 48 25 35 40 27 49 43 DK/NA 36 21 34 44 35 38 41 32 32 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <50K 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Democratic party 28% 25% 21% 27% 36% 29% 23% 27% Republican party 35 40 45 35 31 44 40 32 DK/NA 37 35 34 38 33 27 36 41 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Democratic party 25% 29% 26% 21% 31% Republican party 45 32 35 43 39 DK/NA 29 39 39 35 30 Demographic Summary
