April 23, 2003 - Gov. Pataki Approval Sinks To New Low, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Raise Taxes On The Rich, New York Voters Say 3-1 Dogged by a big negative for his handling of the state budget, New York, Gov. George Pataki's approval rating has tumbled to 43 - 45 percent, his lowest net approval ever, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Gov. Pataki had a 49 - 41 percent approval in a February 12 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. Pataki gets a huge negative approval, 28 - 63 percent, for his handling of the state budget. By a 88 - 9 percent margin, voters say the Governor's plan to cut aid to local schools is a bad idea. "Gov. Pataki says he's being consistent in his anti-tax message. But voters who overwhelmingly elected a fiscally optimistic candidate don't like - not even a little bit - how he's dealing with the state's big fiscal problems," said Maurice Carroll director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "New Yorkers are almost unanimous when they say: Hands off our schools. "They would rather tax the rich. They would even prefer raising state taxes to hold the line on local taxes and to help the schools." New York State voters support 71 - 24 percent "a temporary tax increase on the wealthy." Voters also support 61 - 30 percent a type of plan similar to one being considered in Pennsylvania where state taxes are raised with the money going to help local schools, while keeping local property taxes down. And voters statewide support 52 - 41 percent a New York City commuter tax. Upstate voters support this tax 55 - 36 percent and New York City voters support it 63 - 30 percent. Suburban voters oppose the commuter tax 67 - 30 percent. "Quinnipiac University gets the same results every time we ask: New York State voters say suburbanites who work in New York City should pay a commuter tax," Carroll said. "Of course the suburbanites don't feel that way. "Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who share with Pataki the responsibility for the budget, also share in his less than outstanding approval ratings," Carroll said. Bruno gets a 30 - 27 percent approval rating, with 43 percent undecided. Silver's approval is 33 - 27 percent, with 40 percent undecided. From April 15 - 21, Quinnipiac University surveyed 885 New York State registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and nationwide as a public service and for research. For additional data -- www.quinnipiac.edu or call (203) 582-5201 Do you approve or disapprove of the way George Pataki is handling his job as Governor of New York? App Dis DK/NA April 23, 2003 43% 45% 12% February 11,2003 49 41 10 December 18, 2002 58 31 11 September 26, 2002 62 26 12 July 2, 2002 66 18 17 September 25, 2002 62 26 12 July 2, 2002 66 18 17 May 1, 2002 67 19 14 April 18, 2002 66 19 15 February 27, 2002 70 18 13 January 23, 2002 70 16 14 November 14, 2001 78 12 10 October 2, 2001 81 12 7 June 26, 2001 56 30 14 April 24, 2001 58 27 15 March 28, 2001 61 24 16 February 14, 2001 57 28 15 December 14, 2000 66 23 11 August 10, 2000 61 24 15 July 13, 2000 60 27 12 June 7, 2000 62 25 13 May 16, 2000 63 27 10 May 2, 2000 58 29 12 April 6, 2000 56 31 13 March 2, 2000 57 31 12 February 10, 2000 57 32 12 January 20, 2000 60 29 11 December 14, 1999 60 29 11 November 11, 1999 60 29 12 October 5, 1999 57 31 11 September 15, 1999 60 27 12 August 2, 1999 56 34 10 July 1, 1999 54 35 11 May 24, 1999 58 32 10 April 25, 1999 57 31 12 April 15, 1999 59 31 10 March 24, 1999 60 30 11 February 24, 1999 60 27 13 February 4, 1999 64 27 8 October 28, 1998 64 25 11 October 15, 1998 63 26 11 September 27, 1998 62 26 11 June 17, 1998 64 29 7 March 25, 1998 69 24 7 February 25, 1998 70 22 8 December 10, 1997 62 30 7 September 24, 1997 60 35 6 July 22, 1997 52 41 7 April 24, 1997 54 35 11 March 4, 1997 56 34 10 October 30, 1996 53 31 16 September 22, 1996 51 35 14 June 18, 1996 46 45 9 April 28, 1996 48 40 12 March 4, 1996 47 41 12 December 11, 1995 46 40 14 November 6, 1995 42 41 18 April 27, 1995 41 40 20 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George Pataki is handling his job as Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 43% 69% 29% 41% 45% 41% 35% Disapprove 45 22 57 49 45 46 55 DK/NA 12 9 14 10 10 14 9 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 40% 46% 45% 33% 56% Disapprove 44 41 42 56 33 DK/NA 16 13 13 11 11 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Eliot Spitzer is handling his job as State Attorney General? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 59% 64% 66% 50% 63% 55% 62% Disapprove 14 13 9 19 17 11 13 DK/NA 27 23 25 31 20 34 25 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 65% 62% 63% 55% 57% Disapprove 15 16 15 14 9 DK/NA 21 22 22 30 34 6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Alan Hevesi is handling his job as State Comptroller? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 39% 40% 45% 38% 40% 38% 41% Disapprove 18 16 17 18 20 17 20 DK/NA 43 44 38 45 40 45 39 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 33% 33% 33% 45% 39% Disapprove 17 19 18 20 16 DK/NA 49 48 48 35 45 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 33% 32% 40% 33% 35% 31% 33% Disapprove 27 30 22 29 33 21 30 DK/NA 40 38 38 38 32 48 37 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 33% 34% 34% 37% 26% Disapprove 41 30 32 23 22 DK/NA 26 36 34 40 52 8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joseph Bruno is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 30% 36% 29% 28% 30% 30% 32% Disapprove 27 25 29 27 33 22 32 DK/NA 43 38 42 44 36 48 36 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 33% 34% 34% 28% 26% Disapprove 31 28 29 30 22 DK/NA 36 38 37 43 52 15. Do you think George Pataki will serve out his entire 4 year term as governor or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Yes 78% 84% 73% 82% 83% 73% 79% No 13 10 16 11 10 16 14 DK/NA 9 6 11 7 7 11 7 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Yes 71% 80% 78% 72% 86% No 19 14 15 17 5 DK/NA 9 7 7 11 9 16. Would you like to see George Pataki take a high level job in the Bush administration or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Yes 28% 41% 22% 25% 31% 25% 28% No 59 45 64 63 55 62 61 DK/NA 13 14 14 12 13 14 10 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Yes 25% 30% 29% 22% 36% No 61 57 58 61 56 DK/NA 15 13 14 17 8 17. 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? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Very satisfied 5% 8% 2% 7% 6% 5% 3% Smwht satisfied 32 48 27 26 33 31 23 Smwht dissatisfied 32 27 36 32 31 32 34 Very dissatisfied 29 14 33 35 28 30 37 DK/NA 2 2 2 1 2 1 3 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Very satisfied - 5% 4% 4% 9% Smwht satisfied 36 38 37 21 42 Smwht dissatisfied 35 29 31 35 29 Very dissatisfied 28 28 28 37 20 DK/NA - 1 1 4 - 18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George Pataki is handling the state budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Approve 28% 45% 19% 29% 35% 22% 20% Disapprove 63 44 74 62 57 68 73 DK/NA 9 11 8 9 9 10 6 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Approve 22% 29% 28% 20% 40% Disapprove 71 62 64 71 48 DK/NA 6 8 8 9 12 19. To help balance the state budget, do you support or oppose a temporary tax increase on the wealthy? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Support 71% 59% 80% 72% 71% 71% 78% Oppose 24 36 16 24 26 22 20 DK/NA 5 5 4 4 3 7 2 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Support 62% 68% 66% 73% 77% Oppose 29 25 26 23 21 DK/NA 9 7 7 4 2 20. To balance the state budget, Governor Pataki is proposing to cut state aid to local public school districts. Do you think that is a good idea or a bad idea? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Good idea 9% 15% 4% 10% 12% 6% 6% Bad idea 88 76 95 89 84 91 90 DK/NA 3 8 2 1 4 3 4 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Good idea 9% 10% 10% 7% 10% Bad idea 90 86 87 89 89 DK/NA - 5 4 4 2 21. Pennsylvania is considering a plan to raise the state income tax and use the money to increase state aid to local schools and lower local property taxes. Would you support or oppose a similar plan for New York State? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Support 61% 58% 66% 59% 61% 61% 61% Oppose 30 35 23 33 32 28 33 DK/NA 9 7 11 8 7 11 6 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Support 60% 61% 60% 59% 65% Oppose 33 29 30 30 28 DK/NA 7 10 9 11 7 22. Do you think that New York State suburban residents who work in New York City should pay a New York City income tax to help cover the cost of city services or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHolds Yes 52% 58% 57% 45% 56% 49% 52% No 41 37 37 48 40 41 42 DK/NA 7 5 6 7 4 10 5 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr total NYC Sub Yes 51% 56% 55% 63% 30% No 38 36 36 30 67 DK/NA 11 9 9 7 3
