August 10, 2011 - Cuomo Is 'good,' 'competent,' 'trying,' New York State Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Gov Is Better Leader Than Obama, Bloomberg Word format "Good," "competent," "trying," "honest" and "OK" top the list when 1,640 New York State voters use one word to describe Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. For example 76 voters say "good," followed by 51 who say "competent" and another 51 who say "trying" as in attempting. These are actual voter counts, not percentages. Except for "arrogant" at number nine on the list, "liberal," a word that goes either way, at 13 and "disappointed" at 22, the 30 top words are positive. Way down the list, 6 people say "bully" and 5 people say "sleazy," but the words are overwhelmingly positive throughout. In fact, only one person offered a profanity. New York State voters approve 62 - 22 percent of the job Gov. Cuomo is doing, compared to 64 - 19 percent in a June 29 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe- ack) University. Voters say 64 - 12 percent that they like Cuomo as a person and 61 - 26 percent that they like most of his policies. Cuomo is a better leader than President Barack Obama, voters say 46 - 38 percent, and is a better leader than New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, voters say 51 - 35 percent. Democrats say the president is a better leader than Cuomo 63 - 22 percent, while Cuomo leads 72 - 12 percent among Republicans and 55 - 28 percent among independent voters. Bloomberg is a better leader, Republicans say 45 - 40 percent, but Cuomo leads 59 - 29 percent among Democrats and 50 - 36 percent among independent voters. New York City voters salute Cuomo as a better leader 50 - 42 percent. "We're running out of ways to measure how much New York State voters like Gov. Andrew Cuomo," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "New Yorkers, not known for mincing words, have mostly good words for their governor, who still is in his first year," Carroll added. "'Honest,' 'competent,' 'effective.' When's the last time you heard voters use those kinds of words to describe a politician? "Cuomo's job approval holds high at almost two-thirds, and even Republicans like the Democratic governor." Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie are different rather than similar in their approach to cutting costs and balancing their state budgets, voters say 46 - 17 percent, with 37 percent undecided. New York State voters say 40 - 29 percent that Cuomo does a better job than Christie cutting costs and balancing his budget. New York Republicans say 49 - 20 percent that Christie does a better job, while Cuomo leads 58 - 12 percent among Democrats. Independent voters split with 34 percent for Christie and 32 percent for Cuomo. "It's a trifecta! President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie all lose when they're compared to Gov. Cuomo," Carroll said. "He's a better leader than the president or the mayor, New Yorkers think. And he's been better than New Jersey's Republican governor at cutting costs and balancing budgets." New York State voters disapprove 62 - 27 percent of the job the state legislature is doing. Voters approve 49 - 37 percent of their local State Senator, and split 40 - 43 percent in their approval of their local State Assembly member. "All that love for Gov. Cuomo doesn't carry over to the State Legislature as a whole, or to individual legislators," Carroll said. From August 3 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,640 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 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 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 Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 62% 53% 69% 63% 63% 62% Disapprove 22 33 16 20 24 20 DK/NA 16 14 15 17 13 19 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 61% 62% 65% 58% Disapprove 22 22 22 28 DK/NA 17 16 14 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 Approve 62 64 61 64 56 Disapprove 22 19 18 16 15 DK/NA 16 17 21 21 29 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 27% 22% 35% 22% 25% 28% Disapprove 62 67 54 66 66 59 DK/NA 11 11 11 12 9 13 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 23% 31% 26% 25% Disapprove 65 58 65 66 DK/NA 12 11 9 9 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? APPROVE...... High Low Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 Apr 04 Sep 01 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2007 2010 Approve 27 26 25 29 20 34 15 Disapprove 62 62 62 58 65 43 75 DK/NA 11 12 12 13 15 23 9 6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 40% 43% 46% 33% 40% 41% Disapprove 43 44 34 50 48 38 DK/NA 17 13 20 17 12 21 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 39% 43% 39% 41% Disapprove 46 37 46 45 DK/NA 16 20 15 15 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? APPROVE...... High Low Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 Dec 20 Feb 23 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2005 2011 Approve 40 45 42 41 35 55 35 Disapprove 43 38 39 40 42 22 42 DK/NA 17 17 19 19 22 15 22 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 49% 47% 57% 40% 45% 52% Disapprove 37 41 27 45 44 31 DK/NA 14 12 16 15 11 17 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 47% 52% 45% 48% Disapprove 40 31 42 41 DK/NA 13 17 13 12 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? (* Low also 49% Apr 2011, Feb 2011) APPROVE...... High Low Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 Dec 20 Aug 10 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2005 2011* Approve 49 54 51 49 49 63 49 Disapprove 37 33 34 36 32 22 37 DK/NA 14 13 16 15 18 15 14 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 25% 16% 36% 19% 21% 30% Disapprove 49 58 36 59 59 39 DK/NA 26 26 28 22 20 31 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 21% 34% 19% 25% Disapprove 52 43 53 52 DK/NA 27 23 28 23 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? (*Low also 25% Apr 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Aug 10 Jun 29 Sep 01 Jul 28 Jun 23 Dec 24 Aug 10 2011* 2011 2010 2010 2010 2008 2011* Approve 25 29 28 26 26 38 25 Disapprove 49 43 43 44 39 34 49 DK/NA 26 28 29 30 34 38 26 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 23% 23% 24% 20% 22% 23% Disapprove 40 37 37 46 48 33 DK/NA 37 40 39 34 30 44 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 20% 23% 28% 20% Disapprove 39 39 44 45 DK/NA 42 38 28 35 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Aug 10 Jun 29 2011 2011 Approve 23 25 Disapprove 40 35 DK/NA 37 40 10. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very satisfied 2% 1% 4% 2% 2% 2% Smwht satisfied 33 22 43 28 31 34 Smwht dissatisfied 31 32 32 30 30 33 Very dissatisfied 33 44 20 38 36 30 DK/NA 1 - 1 2 1 1 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Very satisfied 2% 3% 1% 2% Smwht satisfied 28 36 34 26 Smwht dissatisfied 32 32 28 34 Very dissatisfied 36 26 37 37 DK/NA 1 2 - - TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 Feb 25 Jun 23 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 1998 2010 Very satisfied 2 4 3 2 2 13 1 Smwht satisfied 33 34 34 32 29 60 18 Smwht dissatisfied 31 34 32 34 34 20 33 Very dissatisfied 33 27 29 31 33 7 47 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 13. Thinking about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo... What one word best describes your impression of Andrew Cuomo? NOTE: Based on registered voters: Figures shows the number of respondents who offered each response: these numbers are not percentages. This table reports only those words that were mentioned at least three times. Good 76 Competent 51 Trying 51 Effective 39 Honest 38 Okay 35 Politician 32 Tough 24 Arrogant 23 Leader 23 Determined 22 Efficient 21 Ambitious 20 Liberal 20 Strong 20 Dedicated 18 Aggressive 17 Satisfactory 17 Decisive 16 Excellent 16 Forceful 16 Confident 15 Disappointed 15 Surprise 15 Fair 14 Hardworking 14 Intelligent 14 Energetic 13 Tenacious 13 Adequate 12 Diligent 10 Dissatisfied 10 Integrity 9 Committed 8 Opportunistic 8 Smart 8 Consistent 7 Progressive 7 Action 6 Alright 6 Bully 6 Capable 6 Courage 6 Focused 6 Go-Getter 6 Phony 6 Business 5 Compromising 5 Driven 5 Dynamic 5 Egotistical 5 Great 5 Moderate 5 Professional 5 Responsible 5 Sleazy 5 Slick 5 Thorough 5 Approve 4 Bold 4 Cautious 4 Change 4 Charismatic 4 Conservative 4 Gutsy 4 Incompetent 4 Liar 4 Nepotism 4 Outstanding 4 Pompous 4 Positive 4 Pragmatic 4 Qualified 4 Realistic 4 Steady 4 Successful 4 Accomplished 3 Active 3 Assertive 3 Bad 3 Bulldog 3 Corrupt 3 Crooked 3 Different 3 Dishonest 3 Doer 3 Experienced 3 Fighter 3 Follow-Through 3 Helpful 3 Hopeful 3 Hypocrite 3 Idiot 3 Indecisive 3 Interesting 3 Knowledgable 3 Lousy 3 Misleading 3 Mixed 3 Motivated 3 Nice 3 Persistent 3 Personable 3 Savvy 3 Selfish 3 Sellout 3 Unhappy 3 DK/NA 207 14. Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Like 64% 56% 72% 61% 64% 64% Don't Like 12 19 7 15 13 12 DK/NA 24 26 21 24 23 24 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Like 64% 67% 60% 63% Don't Like 13 11 13 14 DK/NA 23 23 27 23 TREND: Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 2011 2011 2011 Like 64 64 61 Don't Like 12 12 13 DK/NA 24 24 26 15. And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Like 61% 49% 69% 63% 62% 61% Don't Like 26 37 21 25 29 24 DK/NA 12 15 10 12 10 15 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Like 61% 61% 63% 55% Don't Like 29 25 23 35 DK/NA 10 14 14 10 TREND: And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Aug 10 Jun 29 Jun 01 2011 2011 2011 Like 61 62 61 Don't Like 26 24 23 DK/NA 12 14 16 16. Thinking about President Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who do you think is a better leader? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Cuomo 46% 72% 22% 55% 53% 39% Obama 38 12 63 28 33 43 NO DIFF(VOL) 7 9 4 8 6 7 DK/NA 9 7 11 8 8 11 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Cuomo 53% 31% 56% 42% Obama 32 52 27 40 NO DIFF(VOL) 6 7 7 9 DK/NA 9 9 10 9 17. Thinking about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who do you think is a better leader? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Cuomo 51% 40% 59% 50% 51% 51% Bloomberg 35 45 29 36 37 33 NO DIFF(VOL) 4 5 3 5 4 4 DK/NA 9 9 10 9 8 11 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Cuomo 56% 50% 46% 53% Bloomberg 25 42 43 36 NO DIFF(VOL) 5 2 5 4 DK/NA 14 6 7 8 18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 59% 52% 59% 64% 65% 54% Disapprove 29 35 28 27 27 31 DK/NA 11 12 13 9 8 14 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Approve 59% 58% 62% 56% Disapprove 31 29 26 35 DK/NA 10 13 11 9 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Aug 10 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 2011 2011 2011 2011 Approve 59 57 57 57 Disapprove 29 30 29 28 DK/NA 11 13 14 16 19. Thinking about New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, would you say that Christie and Cuomo are similar or different in their approach to cutting costs and balancing their state budget, or don't you know? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Similar 17% 19% 10% 22% 22% 13% Different 46 42 51 43 51 41 Don't Know 37 39 38 34 26 46 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 1 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Similar 14% 15% 24% 19% Different 35 55 49 52 Don't Know 49 29 26 29 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 20a. (If 'similar' q19) Would you say that they are very similar, or just somewhat similar? SIMILAR Q19........................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very similar 21% 22% 17% 23% 24% 17% Somewhat similar 73 74 70 75 74 72 DK/NA 5 4 13 2 1 11 20b. (If 'different' q19) Would you say that they are very different, or just somewhat different? DIFFERENT Q19......................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very different 55% 61% 58% 50% 57% 53% Somewhat different 42 37 39 49 42 43 DK/NA 2 2 3 1 1 4 21. Who do you think is doing a better job cutting costs and balancing their state budget Cuomo or Christie? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Cuomo 40% 20% 58% 32% 38% 42% Christie 29 49 12 34 37 22 NO DIFF(VOL) 4 5 2 5 4 3 DK/NA 27 26 28 30 21 33 Union UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds Cuomo 31% 50% 38% 45% Christie 31 24 34 28 NO DIFF(VOL) 3 3 5 4 DK/NA 34 23 22 24 Demographic Summary
