October 27, 2011 - Voters Back Wall St. Protesters, Millionaire's Tax, Quinnipiac University New York State Poll Finds; New Yorkers Divided On Natural Gas Drilling Word format New York State voters agree 58 - 28 percent with the views of the Wall Street protesters, as 60 percent of voters understand the protesters' views "fairly well" or "very well," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters also back the "Millionaire's Tax" more than 2-1, as even Republicans back the measure. Agreement with the protesters is 74 - 12 percent among Democrats and 57 - 30 percent among independent voters, while Republicans disagree 53 - 32 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. A total of 63 percent of New York City voters understand the protesters "very well" or "fairly well" and agreement is 66 - 22 percent. Understanding is 58 percent among suburban voters, with agreement at 50 - 36 percent. Understanding is 56 percent among upstate voters with agreement at 54 - 30 percent. By an overwhelming 82 - 13 percent, New York State voters say it's "OK that they are protesting." Republicans support the right to protest 71 - 22 percent, with strong agreement among all groups in all regions. Extend the "Millionaire's Tax," New York State voters say 66 - 26 percent, with 57 - 34 percent support among Republicans and stronger support among other political, gender, racial, income, education, age and regional groups. Voters making more than $100,000 per year back the tax 66 - 28 percent. "Most New Yorkers, even upstaters and suburban voters, say they get the Wall Street protesters' message," Carroll said. "And by 2-1, voters agree with the complaints about bankers and Wall Streeters," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Agree or not, four out of five voters endorse the protesters' right to protest." "There's wide approval for the one specific message that's being heard Downtown - support for a continued state 'Millionaire's Tax,'" Carroll added. New York State voters are divided on drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale as 44 percent support drilling because of the economic benefits while 43 percent oppose drilling because of environmental concerns. Today's results compare to 47 - 42 percent support for drilling in an August 11 Quinnipiac University survey and 45 - 41 percent support September 21. Today, Republicans support drilling 66 - 23 percent while Democrats oppose it 55 - 33 percent, with independent voters split 44 - 44 percent. Upstate voters split 45 - 45 percent and New York City voters are divided with 43 percent against drilling and 41 percent for drilling. Suburban voters support drilling 48 - 41 percent. Voters agree 73 - 19 percent that drilling will create jobs and support 55 - 32 percent a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas. Republicans are divided on the tax 45 - 45 percent. New York State voters say 50 - 14 percent, with 35 percent undecided, that hydro- fracking will damage the environment. "When it comes to natural gas drilling, some New Yorkers have been thinking green as in trees and some think green as in dollar bills," Carroll said. "Modest support for drilling in our first poll in August has given way to an evenly divided public opinion on what promises to be a hotly-debated issue. There is agreement on the arguments from both sides: Will it help the economy? Yes. Will it endanger the environment? Yes." With a big upstate-downstate split, New York State voters oppose 51 - 42 percent providing additional state support for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. New York City voters want more state aid 55 - 42 percent. Suburban voters oppose more aid 51 - 44 percent, and upstate voters say no 59 - 30 percent. Keep the MTA payroll tax levied on city and suburban employers, 45 percent of voters statewide say, while 11 percent want to increase it; 9 percent want to decrease it and 24 percent want to eliminate it. From October 18 - 24, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,540 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 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. 18. Some people say there should be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the economic benefits. Others say there should not be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the environmental impact. Which comes closer to your point of view? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Drilling 44% 66% 33% 44% 50% 39% 46% 41% No drilling 43 23 55 44 40 46 42 45 DK/NA 12 11 12 12 9 15 12 14 HEARD OF Union COL DEGREE FRACKING Q21 UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes No Drilling 45% 41% 48% 38% 47% 41% 42% 47% No drilling 45 43 41 49 40 50 50 36 DK/NA 10 16 11 12 14 10 8 17 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Drilling 44% 46% 46% 41% 44% 44% 44% 50% No drilling 47 40 45 43 43 46 44 43 DK/NA 8 14 9 16 12 10 12 7 TREND: Some people say there should be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the economic benefits. Others say there should not be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the environmental impact. Which comes closer to your point of view? Oct 27 Sep 21 Aug 11 2011 2011 2011 Drilling 44 45 47 No drilling 43 41 42 DK/NA 12 13 12 19. Do you support or oppose a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 55% 45% 65% 55% 56% 54% 56% 58% Oppose 32 45 22 32 33 32 33 33 DK/NA 13 10 13 13 10 15 12 9 HEARD OF Union COL DEGREE FRACKING Q21 UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes No Support 55% 56% 53% 60% 50% 64% 61% 49% Oppose 33 31 34 29 36 27 30 36 DK/NA 12 13 13 11 15 9 9 15 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Support 58% 57% 58% 49% 50% 58% 61% 63% Oppose 34 32 31 32 34 33 30 27 DK/NA 8 11 11 19 17 9 9 9 TREND: Do you support or oppose a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale? Oct 27 Sep 21 Aug 11 2011 2011 2011 Support 55 51 59 Oppose 32 36 29 DK/NA 13 12 12 20. Do you think that drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale will create jobs or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 73% 82% 65% 74% 77% 69% 76% 65% No 19 11 24 18 18 19 16 26 DK/NA 9 6 10 7 5 12 8 8 HEARD OF Union COL DEGREE FRACKING Q21 UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes No Yes 75% 70% 73% 71% 73% 73% 75% 71% No 18 20 17 21 18 20 19 19 DK/NA 7 10 10 8 9 7 6 10 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes 73% 70% 74% 73% 66% 79% 75% 76% No 17 24 19 15 21 19 17 20 DK/NA 10 6 6 12 12 2 8 5 TREND: Do you think that drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale will create jobs or not? Oct 27 Sep 21 Aug 11 2011 2011 2011 Yes 73 74 75 No 19 19 17 DK/NA 9 7 8 21. Have you heard or read anything about hydro-fracking? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 54% 62% 46% 59% 67% 43% 65% 22% No 44 37 52 40 31 56 34 77 DK/NA 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 Union COL DEGREE UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes 74% 39% 45% 59% 47% 65% No 25 59 53 40 51 34 DK/NA 1 2 2 1 2 1 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes 43% 56% 62% 54% 36% 59% 62% 65% No 57 43 37 43 62 41 36 34 DK/NA 1 1 1 3 2 1 2 1 TREND: Have you heard or read anything about hydro-fracking? Oct 27 Sep 21 Aug 11 2011 2011 2011 Yes 54 53 57 No 44 46 42 DK/NA 2 1 1 22. Natural gas drilling companies want to practice hydro-fracking in New York State. Hydro-fracking is the process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground under high pressure to fracture rocks. This releases natural gas trapped in the rocks which is then collected. Do you think hydro-fracking will cause environmental damage or not, or don't you know? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes/Will damage 50% 30% 60% 51% 46% 54% 48% 52% No/Won't damage 14 26 7 15 21 9 16 7 Don't Know 35 44 32 33 32 38 35 41 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - HEARD OF Union COL DEGREE FRACKING Q21 UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes No Yes/Will damage 49% 53% 46% 58% 47% 54% 55% 44% No/Won't damage 18 10 16 13 15 14 21 7 Don't Know 32 37 37 29 37 31 23 49 REFUSED 1 - - - 1 1 1 - AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes/Will damage 49% 51% 51% 45% 50% 51% 52% 46% No/Won't damage 15 16 16 12 13 12 16 20 Don't Know 35 33 32 43 36 35 31 34 REFUSED 2 - - - 1 2 - - TREND: Natural gas drilling companies want to practice hydro-fracking in New York State. Hydro-fracking is the process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground under high pressure to fracture rocks. This releases natural gas trapped in the rocks which is then collected. Do you think hydro-fracking will cause environmental damage or not, or don't you know? Oct 27 Sep 21 Aug 11 2011 2011 2011 Yes/Will damage 50 51 52 No/Won't damage 14 13 15 Don't Know 35 35 33 REFUSED 1 - - 27. As you may know the MTA is the agency which provides rail and bus service in the New York Metropolitan area. Do you think the state government should provide additional funds to the MTA, or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 42% 29% 52% 41% 41% 44% 37% 61% No 51 64 42 51 52 50 55 39 DK/NA 7 7 6 8 7 7 8 - Union COL DEGREE UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Yes 30% 55% 44% 39% 41% 45% No 59 42 51 55 53 47 DK/NA 11 3 6 6 6 8 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Yes 48% 39% 43% 41% 51% 43% 38% 41% No 47 56 51 49 43 52 54 53 DK/NA 5 5 6 10 6 5 7 7 TREND: As you may know the MTA is the agency which provides rail and bus service in the New York Metropolitan area. Do you think the state government should provide additional funds to the MTA, or not? Oct 27 Aug 11 2011 2011 Yes 42 44 No 51 48 DK/NA 7 8 28. Currently, employers in New York City and the suburban areas served by the MTA pay a special tax to help the transit agency. Do you think that tax should be increased, remain the same, decreased, or eliminated? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Increased 11% 9% 15% 9% 12% 10% 12% 11% Remain the same 45 44 48 44 42 47 44 51 Decreased 9 6 9 10 9 8 7 10 Eliminated 24 29 16 27 26 22 24 25 DK/NA 11 12 12 10 10 12 13 2 Union COL DEGREE UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Increased 15% 11% 6% 10% 10% 14% Remain the same 45 46 44 46 45 45 Decreased 7 11 6 6 10 6 Eliminated 17 24 35 30 25 23 DK/NA 16 8 9 8 11 12 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Increased 11% 9% 13% 10% 11% 12% 10% 11% Remain the same 51 48 41 44 42 53 46 46 Decreased 12 8 8 7 15 4 7 6 Eliminated 20 27 28 20 20 22 26 26 DK/NA 6 8 10 18 12 10 10 11 TREND: Currently, employers in New York City and the suburban areas served by the MTA pay a special tax to help the transit agency. Do you think that tax should be increased, remain the same, decreased, or eliminated? Oct 27 Aug 11 2011 2011 Increased 11 13 Remain the same 45 42 Decreased 9 10 Eliminated 24 26 DK/NA 11 9 29. How closely have you been following news about the Wall Street protests - Would you say you have been following it very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Very closely 24% 24% 21% 27% 31% 19% 23% 24% Smwht closely 47 46 47 51 47 47 50 39 Not too closely 19 20 21 14 17 21 19 21 Not at all 9 10 9 8 6 12 8 16 DK/NA 1 - 2 - - 1 - - UNDRSTND OWS Q30 Union COL DEGREE VryFrly UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Well Not Well Very closely 18% 28% 30% 27% 21% 31% 33% 12% Smwht closely 47 44 50 48 44 51 55 35 Not too closely 25 17 14 18 22 14 10 32 Not at all 10 10 5 7 12 3 1 20 DK/NA - 1 - - 1 - - 1 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Very closely 17% 22% 30% 27% 16% 22% 23% 36% Smwht closely 46 46 48 45 42 49 52 47 Not too closely 19 21 18 19 28 19 17 14 Not at all 19 11 4 6 13 10 8 2 DK/NA - - - 3 1 - - - 30. How well do you feel you understand the views of the Wall Street protesters? Do you understand them very well, fairly well, not too well or not well at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Very well 22% 17% 21% 25% 27% 17% 18% 26% Fairly well 38 30 41 40 36 39 39 36 Not too well 21 25 24 16 19 23 20 24 Not well at all 18 26 13 18 15 20 20 14 DK/NA 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 - Union COL DEGREE UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Very well 15% 28% 23% 23% 19% 25% Fairly well 41 35 35 40 34 44 Not too well 23 20 20 20 24 17 Not well at all 18 17 18 15 21 13 DK/NA 2 1 4 1 3 1 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Very well 24% 21% 21% 18% 17% 17% 23% 29% Fairly well 37 37 44 33 34 44 41 39 Not too well 17 21 20 26 29 14 20 15 Not well at all 20 20 13 20 18 23 15 15 DK/NA 1 1 1 4 3 2 1 1 31. Regardless of how you feel about the Wall Street protests, do you generally agree or disagree with the protesters' views? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Agree 58% 32% 74% 57% 57% 58% 51% 80% Disagree 28 53 12 30 34 23 33 13 DK/NA 14 15 14 13 9 19 15 6 UNDRSTND OWS Q30 Union COL DEGREE VryFrly UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Well Not Well Agree 54% 66% 50% 62% 54% 63% 74% 34% Disagree 30 22 36 27 29 26 22 37 DK/NA 16 12 15 12 16 10 4 29 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Agree 60% 59% 60% 52% 61% 58% 59% 59% Disagree 25 29 29 31 23 29 29 34 DK/NA 16 12 11 17 16 13 13 7 32. And regardless of how you feel about the views of the Wall Street protesters, do you think it is OK that they are protesting, or do you think they should not be protesting? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk OK to protest 82% 71% 86% 84% 86% 77% 80% 88% Shld not protest 13 22 10 12 10 16 15 8 DK/NA 5 7 4 4 3 7 5 4 UNDRSTND OWS Q30 Union COL DEGREE VryFrly UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Well Not Well OK to protest 82% 82% 80% 88% 77% 88% 90% 70% Shld not protest 13 13 14 10 16 10 9 20 DK/NA 5 5 6 2 7 2 1 11 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K OK to protest 79% 86% 86% 73% 77% 84% 86% 88% Shld not protest 12 11 11 20 16 14 11 10 DK/NA 10 3 3 7 7 2 3 1 33. As you may know, New York State's so called "millionaires' tax" is set to expire in December. Do you think the state should extend the millionaires' tax or end the millionaires' tax? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Extend tax 66% 57% 72% 68% 64% 68% 66% 65% End the tax 26 34 20 24 30 22 26 30 DK/NA 8 9 9 8 6 11 8 5 UNDRSTND OWS Q30 Union COL DEGREE VryFrly UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds No Yes Well Not Well Extend tax 68% 66% 62% 68% 63% 71% 70% 60% End the tax 24 24 31 24 28 22 25 27 DK/NA 9 9 7 8 9 7 5 13 AGE IN YEARS............ ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K Extend tax 64% 66% 69% 65% 63% 73% 68% 66% End the tax 30 24 25 24 25 22 25 28 DK/NA 6 10 6 11 12 5 7 6 Demographic Summary
