May 30, 2012 - Cuomo Approval Tops 70 Percent, Highest In 11 Years, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gillibrand Scores High As She Buries GOP Challengers Word format New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo gets a 71 - 16 percent approval rating today, the highest score for an Empire State governor since Gov. George Pataki hit 81 - 12 percent in the wake of 9/11, and continuing Gov. Cuomo's year-long trend with the highest approval rating of any governor in the seven states surveyed by the Quinnipiac University poll. Voters support 79 - 18 percent, including 61 - 34 percent among Republicans, raising the minimum wage, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Cuomo's job approval is 68 - 20 percent among Republicans, 76 - 11 percent among Democrats and 69 - 19 percent among independent voters, 71 - 15 percent among Protestants, 71 - 18 percent among Catholics and 83 - 9 percent among Jews. There is no gender or racial gap. Approval is 68 - 19 percent upstate, 72 - 15 percent in New York City and 76 - 12 percent in the suburbs. New York State voters support 73 - 21 percent a key Cuomo initiative to create a new state agency to monitor treatment of the disabled and to investigate claims of abuse. Support is strong among all groups. Treatment of the disabled is so important that a new state agency is needed, 54 percent of voters say, while 31 percent say it concentrates too much power in the governor's office. "For the first time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's job approval tops 70 percent," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "We haven't seen scores this high since Gov. George Pataki - and everyone else - got a vote of confidence right after 9/11. "Gov. Cuomo might not be the most popular governor in the nation, but he's the most popular - Democrat or Republican - in the seven states surveyed by Quinnipiac University. For example, he's well-ahead of New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie's all-time best 59 - 36 percent. Cuomo tops that score among Republicans in New York State." Many New York State voters want to hike the minimum wage beyond the $8.50 per hour presently under consideration in Albany: 32 percent of voters support an $8.50 per hour minimum wage; 6 percent support a raise, but not as high as $8.50; 40 percent support a raise higher than $8.50; 18 percent oppose any increase. Small businesses will not reduce the number of people they hire if the minimum wage is increased, voters say 51 - 41 percent. Voters also support 56 - 33 percent the creation of Las Vegas-type casinos, with no opposition from any group. Support for changing the State Constitution, a necessary step to create non-Indian casinos, is 49 - 42 percent. Women are divided, with 45 percent opposed and 42 percent in support. Teacher evaluations should be made public, New York State voters say 56 - 40 percent, including 62 - 33 percent among voters who have children in public schools. Union households are divided 49 - 48 percent, but all other groups support the release. Voters say 45 - 18 percent, however, that the teacher evaluations are flawed. "New Yorkers are consistent on the issues left for the Legislature's closing days. We're a true-blue state and we like raising the minimum wage," Carroll said. "We want to better protect the disabled, even if it means another government agency. We want real casinos, but we're a little less eager about changing the State Constitution. And we want to know how our teachers are doing, even if we don't trust the results of the tests." Voters approve 60 - 22 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is doing, matching her best score. Sen. Gillibrand tops any of her largely unknown Republican challengers 2-1: 56 - 26 percent over U.S. Rep. Robert Turner; 57 - 24 percent over Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos; 58 - 24 percent over businesswoman Wendy Long. The number of voters who don't know enough to form an opinion about the three Republican contenders ranges from 76 to 84 percent. From May 22 - 28, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,504 New York State 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. 5. If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Bob Turner the Republican and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Turner 26% 69% 3% 26% 32% 21% 31% 10% 16% Gillibrand 56 17 85 47 51 62 53 75 62 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - - - 1 - - - 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 DK/NA 15 13 9 25 15 16 14 12 20 UpStat NYC Sub Turner 29% 18% 36% Gillibrand 52 66 47 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 DK/NA 17 14 15 TREND: If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Bob Turner the Republican and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat, for whom would you vote? May 30 Apr 05 2012 2012 Turner 26 27 Gillibrand 56 57 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 DK/NA 15 13 6. If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were George Maragos the Republican and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Maragos 24% 62% 3% 22% 30% 18% 29% 9% 7% Gillibrand 57 20 86 49 53 61 54 78 64 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 2 1 - 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 DK/NA 16 16 8 25 13 18 15 9 26 UpStat NYC Sub Maragos 27% 13% 37% Gillibrand 54 69 45 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 2 DK/NA 16 15 16 TREND: If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were George Maragos the Republican and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democrat, for whom would you vote? May 30 Apr 05 2012 2012 Maragos 24 23 Gillibrand 57 57 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 DK/NA 16 15 7. If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Wendy Long the Republican and Conservative party candidate and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democratic party candidate, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Long 24% 61% 2% 23% 28% 20% 29% 7% 12% Gillibrand 58 20 88 49 54 62 54 80 64 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 1 2 4 4 2 2 3 2 DK/NA 15 16 7 23 14 15 13 8 22 UpStat NYC Sub Long 26% 14% 36% Gillibrand 55 69 47 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 3 2 DK/NA 16 14 14 TREND: If the election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Wendy Long the Republican and Conservative party candidate and Kirsten Gillibrand the Democratic party candidate, for whom would you vote? May 30 Apr 05 2012 2012 Long 24 25 Gillibrand 58 58 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 3 3 DK/NA 15 13 8. Is your opinion of Kirsten Gillibrand favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Favorable 50% 28% 68% 44% 45% 54% 50% 60% 43% Unfavorable 18 40 3 22 24 13 22 5 6 Hvn't hrd enough 29 29 27 31 29 30 26 34 45 REFUSED 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 6 TREND: Is your opinion of Kirsten Gillibrand favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? (*Low also 24% Feb 2009) FAVORABLE.... High Low May 30 Sep 01 Jun 22 Apr 13 Feb 3 May 30 Apr 6 2012 2010 2010 2010 2010 2012 2009* Favorable 50 38 37 37 33 50 24 Unfavorable 18 21 23 23 22 18 11 Hvn't hrd enough 29 39 39 39 44 29 64 REFUSED 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 9. Is your opinion of Bob Turner favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Favorable 12% 25% 5% 12% 13% 11% 13% 8% 11% Unfavorable 11 2 18 8 12 10 9 17 16 Hvn't hrd enough 76 73 75 79 73 78 77 73 69 REFUSED 1 - 2 2 2 1 1 1 4 10. Is your opinion of George Maragos favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Favorable 7% 17% 4% 5% 8% 7% 7% 5% 11% Unfavorable 8 3 11 6 8 7 8 8 8 Hvn't hrd enough 84 80 84 89 83 85 85 85 79 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 11. Is your opinion of Wendy Long favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Favorable 6% 14% 3% 7% 7% 6% 7% 8% 6% Unfavorable 8 1 11 7 8 8 6 11 11 Hvn't hrd enough 84 85 84 86 84 85 86 80 80 REFUSED 1 - 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 71% 68% 76% 69% 71% 72% 73% 74% 65% Disapprove 16 20 11 19 17 15 16 11 17 DK/NA 13 12 13 12 12 13 11 15 19 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Approve 68% 72% 76% 67% 70% 67% Disapprove 19 15 12 23 20 22 DK/NA 13 13 12 10 9 11 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100 Approve 74% 70% 64% 72% 76% 65% 72% 74% 78% Disapprove 15 16 18 19 12 16 16 15 16 DK/NA 11 14 18 9 12 19 12 10 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? APPROVE....... High Low May 30 Apr 04 Feb 15 Dec 20 Oct 26 May 30 Feb 23 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 2011 Approve 71 68 69 68 65 71 56 Disapprove 16 19 19 17 19 16 15 DK/NA 13 13 12 15 15 13 29 13. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 64% 41% 81% 60% 62% 66% 61% 81% 74% Disapprove 26 51 7 31 31 21 30 6 12 DK/NA 10 8 12 9 7 13 9 13 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? (*High also 69% Oct 2001) APPROVE....... High Low May 30 Apr 05 Feb 15 Dec 21 Oct 26 Dec 08 Apr 15 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2004* 1999 Approve 64 63 60 62 61 69 51 Disapprove 26 25 29 27 28 16 22 DK/NA 10 12 11 11 11 15 28 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 60% 35% 80% 55% 56% 64% 58% 78% 64% Disapprove 22 45 6 26 26 18 24 6 11 DK/NA 18 20 15 19 18 17 18 16 25 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kirsten Gillibrand is handling her job as United States Senator? (*High also 60% Apr 2012) APPROVE....... High Low May 30 Apr 05 Feb 15 Dec 21 Oct 26 May 30 Feb 17 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012* 2009 Approve 60 60 47 50 50 60 28 Disapprove 22 21 26 23 24 22 10 DK/NA 18 19 27 27 26 18 62 18. Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives and Democrats control the United States Senate. After the election in November, would you prefer that the Democrats control both houses of Congress, the Republicans control both houses of Congress, or would you prefer that control is split as it is today? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Democrats 42% 2% 70% 34% 40% 44% 37% 60% 53% Republicans 23 60 1 23 28 17 29 1 9 Split 31 34 26 35 28 34 29 38 35 DK/NA 4 3 2 8 4 5 5 1 3 21. Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New York State, which is now $7.25 an hour? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 79% 61% 92% 78% 75% 83% 74% 95% 89% Oppose 18 34 7 21 23 14 23 4 11 DK/NA 2 5 1 2 2 2 3 1 - COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100 Support 77% 81% 86% 80% 77% 85% 78% 79% 77% Oppose 20 17 13 19 20 14 20 19 21 DK/NA 3 2 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 TREND: Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New York State, which is now $7.25 an hour? May 30 Apr 04 2012 2012 Support 79 78 Oppose 18 20 DK/NA 2 3 22. (If support q21) Do you think that the minimum wage should be $8.50 an hour, should be less than $8.50 an hour, or should be more than $8.50 an hour? SUPPORTS INCREASE Q21...................................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Exactly $8.50 40% 54% 36% 39% 41% 40% 45% 26% 34% Less than $8.50 7 11 6 8 7 8 9 4 7 More than $8.50 50 35 55 51 49 51 43 70 58 DK/NA 2 - 3 2 3 2 3 - 1 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100 Exactly $8.50 40% 41% 41% 38% 42% 40% 38% 50% 35% Less than $8.50 8 7 9 8 7 3 8 9 11 More than $8.50 49 51 48 53 49 57 51 40 49 DK/NA 4 1 2 1 2 - 2 1 5 TREND: (If support) Do you think that the minimum wage should be $8.50 an hour, should be less than $8.50 an hour, or should be more than $8.50 an hour? SUPPORT INCREASE May 30 Apr 04 2012 2012 Exactly $8.50 40 37 Less than $8.50 7 8 More than $8.50 50 52 DK/NA 2 3 22a.(COMBINED Q21 & Q22)Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New York State, which is now $7.25 an hour? IF SUPPORT: Do you think that the minimum wage should be $8.50 an hour, should be less than $8.50 an hour, or should be more than $8.50 an hour? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Increase to $8.50 32% 33% 33% 30% 31% 33% 34% 25% 30% Increase < $8.50 6 7 6 6 5 6 6 3 6 Increase > $8.50 40 21 51 39 37 43 32 67 52 Oppose increase 18 34 7 21 23 14 23 4 11 DK/NA 4 5 4 3 4 4 5 1 1 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100 Increase to $8.50 30% 33% 35% 31% 32% 34% 30% 40% 27% Increase < $8.50 6 6 7 6 5 2 7 7 8 Increase > $8.50 37 41 41 42 37 49 40 32 38 Oppose increase 20 17 13 19 20 14 20 19 21 DK/NA 6 3 3 2 5 2 4 3 6 TREND: (COMBINED Q21 & Q22)Would you support or oppose raising the minimum wage in New York State, which is now $7.25 an hour? IF SUPPORT: Do you think that the minimum wage should be $8.50 an hour, should be less than $8.50 an hour, or should be more than $8.50 an hour? May 30 Apr 04 2012 2012 Increase to $8.50 32 29 Increase < $8.50 6 6 Increase > $8.50 40 41 Oppose increase 18 20 DK/NA 4 5 23. Do you think small businesses will reduce the number of people they hire if the minimum wage is raised, or don't you think so? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Yes 41% 56% 30% 42% 40% 42% 42% 33% 42% No 51 36 59 53 55 47 50 59 49 DK/NA 8 7 10 5 4 11 8 7 8 COLLEGE DEG AGE IN YEARS..... ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Yes No 18-34 35-54 55+ <30K 30-50 50-100 >100 Yes 38% 43% 46% 38% 41% 42% 48% 37% 38% No 55 48 49 57 48 49 43 57 58 DK/NA 7 9 5 5 11 9 9 6 4 TREND: Do you think small businesses will reduce the number of people they hire if the minimum wage is raised, or don't you think so? May 30 Apr 04 2012 2012 Yes 41 41 No 51 51 DK/NA 8 8 28. Do you support or oppose the creation of non-indian casinos in New York State, similar to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 56% 64% 52% 55% 62% 50% 55% 68% 58% Oppose 33 30 34 35 32 34 35 22 32 DK/NA 11 6 14 10 6 15 10 10 10 UpStat NYC Sub Support 55% 55% 58% Oppose 35 32 32 DK/NA 10 13 10 TREND: Do you support or oppose the creation of non-indian casinos in New York State, similar to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas? May 30 Feb 15 Dec 21 Sep 21 2012 2012 2011 2011 Support 56 54 64 56 Oppose 33 38 31 37 DK/NA 11 8 5 7 29. There is a proposal to change the state constitution to allow for the creation of non-indian casinos in New York State, similar to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Good idea 49% 51% 49% 48% 57% 42% 49% 51% 56% Bad idea 42 40 42 43 38 45 43 39 32 DK/NA 9 8 9 8 5 12 9 10 12 UpStat NYC Sub Good idea 49% 49% 50% Bad idea 43 41 41 DK/NA 7 11 9 TREND: There is a proposal to change the state constitution to allow for the creation of non-indian casinos in New York State, similar to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? May 30 Feb 15 2012 2012 Good idea 49 50 Bad idea 42 42 DK/NA 9 8 30. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling education? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 47% 41% 54% 45% 51% 43% 46% 54% 43% Disapprove 31 37 25 33 29 32 30 32 36 DK/NA 22 22 22 21 20 25 24 14 21 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Approve 44% 47% 51% 47% 47% 45% Disapprove 35 29 27 36 37 41 DK/NA 21 24 22 17 16 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling education? May 30 Feb 16 2012 2012 Approve 47 45 Disapprove 31 42 DK/NA 22 13 31. 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? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Good idea 64% 60% 70% 61% 64% 65% 61% 67% 84% Bad idea 31 34 25 36 31 30 33 31 16 DK/NA 5 6 5 3 5 5 6 2 - Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Good idea 59% 72% 62% 56% 66% 65% Bad idea 35 23 35 41 29 29 DK/NA 6 5 3 4 5 6 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 30 Feb 16 Jun 02 Apr 14 Feb 24 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 Good idea 64 64 68 67 64 Bad idea 31 31 28 30 33 DK/NA 5 5 4 3 3 32. 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? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Good idea 62% 76% 53% 66% 66% 59% 68% 38% 53% Bad idea 29 19 38 25 27 32 24 56 42 DK/NA 8 5 8 9 7 9 8 6 6 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Good idea 61% 59% 70% 60% 65% 62% Bad idea 30 31 25 32 29 32 DK/NA 8 10 5 8 6 5 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 30 Feb 16 Jun 02 Apr 14 Feb 24 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 Good idea 62 67 63 64 62 Bad idea 29 26 31 31 33 DK/NA 8 7 6 5 5 33. If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should lay off teachers based on seniority or based on their performance? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Seniority 11% 8% 11% 12% 11% 11% 11% 10% 13% Performance 83 88 82 84 84 83 84 85 81 DK/NA 6 4 7 4 5 6 5 5 6 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Seniority 13% 9% 10% 20% 12% 13% Performance 82 84 85 72 85 85 DK/NA 5 7 4 8 3 2 TREND: If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should lay off teachers based on seniority or based on their performance? May 30 Feb 16 Jun 02 Apr 14 Feb 24 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 Seniority 11 9 13 14 12 Performance 83 87 82 82 85 DK/NA 6 4 5 4 4 34. Do you approve or disapprove of releasing to the public the results of evaluations of public school teachers? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 56% 65% 52% 55% 59% 54% 54% 64% 54% Disapprove 40 31 43 42 38 41 42 34 42 DK/NA 4 4 5 3 3 5 4 2 4 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Approve 56% 56% 58% 49% 59% 62% Disapprove 40 40 40 48 36 33 DK/NA 5 4 3 2 4 5 35. Do you trust the results of the recently released teacher evaluations or do you think the teacher evaluations were flawed? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Trust results 18% 21% 19% 16% 20% 16% 15% 25% 27% Results flawed 45 41 43 48 45 44 43 48 48 DK/NA 37 38 37 35 35 40 42 28 25 Union HAVE KIDS... UpStat NYC Sub HsHld <18 PubSch Trust results 17% 17% 22% 15% 22% 23% Results flawed 41 51 41 52 48 47 DK/NA 42 33 37 33 30 30 42. Do you support or oppose creation of a new state agency to monitor treatment of disabled people and to investigate claims that workers abused the disabled? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 73% 63% 83% 67% 67% 78% 69% 85% 79% Oppose 21 29 10 28 27 16 24 9 14 DK/NA 6 8 7 5 6 7 7 6 7 43. Which comes closer to your point of view? Treatment of the disabled is an important issue requiring creation of a new state agency OR The creation of this new state agency is concentrating too much power in the Governor's office. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Important issue 54% 36% 67% 50% 48% 59% 50% 66% 65% Too much power 31 48 18 36 38 24 34 24 19 DK/NA 15 16 15 14 14 17 16 10 17 Demographic Summary
