April 27, 2011 - Big Jump In Disapproval For Pennsylvania Governor, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov's Budget Unfair, Voters - Especially Women - Say Word format While 39 percent of Pennsylvania voters approve of the job Gov. Tom Corbett is doing, 37 percent disapprove, a statistical tie, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. This is a big jump in his negative ratings from a 39 - 11 percent job approval rating in a February 16 survey. Pennsylvania voters say 50 - 39 percent that Gov. Corbett's budget-cutting proposals are unfair to people like them, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. There is a large gender gap as men say the cuts are fair 45 - 43 percent, a tie, while women say unfair 55 - 34 percent. Republicans say 59 - 27 percent the cuts are fair, but Democrats say unfair 69 - 22 percent and independent voters say unfair 47 - 41 percent. Still, voters say 55 - 39 percent that balancing the state budget should be done by spending cuts only and not by a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts. Although 97 percent say Pennsylvania's budget problems are "very serious" or "somewhat serious," and a majority want only cuts to meet the budget gap, 35 percent say Corbett's budget cuts go too far, while 20 percent say not far enough and 31 percent say they are about right. "Although Gov. Tom Corbett's numbers are not impressive by traditional standards, they are a good deal better than many of the new Republican governors around the country who are offering a similar approach of no new taxes and large spending cuts," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Voters express some conflicting views about Gov. Corbett and his program, saying they agree on the need not to raise taxes, yet they are not happy with some of the spending reductions that he has proposed." Corbett gets a thumbs up on job approval from Republicans 64 - 18 percent and independents 40 - 31 percent, but gets a 55 - 20 percent negative rating from Democrats. Like many of his fellow Republican governors around the country, he has a gender gap. Men approve 43 - 30 percent while women disapprove 43 - 36 percent. "Gov. Corbett has a problem with women: He has a gender gap on his job approval and a gender gap on his proposed budget cuts," Brown said. "Women find the cuts unfair while men are divided on whether they are fair." Pennsylvania voters disapprove 52 - 35 percent of the way Corbett is handling the state budget, but by 55 - 40 percent voters agree with his position that a tax hike is not necessary to balance the budget. Despite this view, by 57 - 33 percent they don't think Corbett will be able keep his campaign promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. On a variety of budget-cutting steps, Pennsylvania voters: Oppose 50 - 43 percent state worker layoffs; Oppose 53 - 36 percent selling or leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike; Support 64 - 28 percent selling state liquor stores; Oppose 64 - 32 percent cutting state funding for state and state-related universities; Support 68 - 27 percent freezing the wages of state employees; Support 69 - 22 percent instituting a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale region. From April 19 - 25, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,366 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 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 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 Tom Corbett is handling his job as Governor? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 39% 64% 20% 40% 43% 36% 35% Disapprove 37 18 55 31 30 43 42 DK/NA 24 19 25 29 27 21 23 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Approve 41% 26% 39% 43% 31% 47% 42% Disapprove 44 41 41 33 36 37 33 DK/NA 15 33 20 24 33 16 24 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tom Corbett is handling his job as Governor? Apr 27 Feb 16 2011 2011 Approve 39 39 Disapprove 37 11 DK/NA 24 50 11. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Pennsylvania today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very satisfied 2% 1% 3% 3% 3% 2% 1% Smwht satisfied 37 48 34 32 41 34 37 Smwht dissatisfied 33 33 34 35 33 33 34 Very dissatisfied 26 17 29 28 22 30 28 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 1 - Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Very satisfied 2% 5% 2% 3% 1% 1% 3% Smwht satisfied 39 41 34 45 34 31 35 Smwht dissatisfied 30 24 37 36 26 38 35 Very dissatisfied 29 31 26 16 36 29 26 DK/NA - - - 1 3 - 2 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Pennsylvania today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT. High Low Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 Jul 13 Apr 08 Jun 05 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2002 2010 Very satisfied 2 4 2 3 4 8 2 Smwht satisfied 37 43 35 37 42 60 35 Smwht dissatisfied 33 36 37 38 34 22 37 Very dissatisfied 26 15 25 21 19 8 25 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tom Corbett is handling the state budget? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Approve 35% 58% 16% 37% 45% 27% 35% Disapprove 52 31 72 47 42 60 55 DK/NA 13 11 11 16 13 13 9 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Approve 39% 23% 36% 39% 29% 36% 39% Disapprove 48 63 50 51 56 54 47 DK/NA 13 14 14 10 16 9 14 13. Do you think Governor Corbett's proposals to balance the state budget are fair or unfair to people like you? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Fair 39% 59% 22% 41% 45% 34% 35% Unfair 50 27 69 47 43 55 56 DK/NA 11 14 9 12 12 11 9 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Fair 44% 30% 42% 38% 35% 42% 40% Unfair 52 61 48 51 48 46 45 DK/NA 5 9 11 11 17 12 14 14. How serious do you think Pennsylvania's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not at all serious? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Very serious 65% 66% 65% 59% 63% 67% 66% Smwht serious 32 29 31 38 34 30 30 Not too serious 2 2 3 1 2 1 3 Not at all serious 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 1 - Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Very serious 65% 77% 59% 58% 69% 65% 66% Smwht serious 32 20 40 39 25 31 31 Not too serious 4 - 1 2 4 2 1 Not at all serious - 2 - - - - 1 DK/NA - 1 - 1 1 3 1 TREND: How serious do you think Pennsylvania's budget problems are - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not at all serious? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 Feb 20 2011 2011 2010 2003 Very serious 65 61 60 32 Smwht serious 32 34 33 55 Not too serious 2 2 4 7 Not at all serious 1 - 1 1 DK/NA 1 2 1 5 15. To balance the state budget, if you had to choose, would you prefer - raising taxes or cutting government programs and services? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Raise taxes 36% 16% 58% 30% 29% 41% 39% Cut services 54 75 30 61 63 46 52 DK/NA 10 9 11 9 8 12 9 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Raise taxes 37% 54% 32% 37% 30% 32% 30% Cut services 60 33 55 57 51 57 59 DK/NA 3 13 12 6 19 11 11 TREND: To balance the state budget, if you had to choose, would you prefer raising taxes or cutting government programs and services? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 Feb 20 2011 2011 2010 2003 Raising taxes 36 30 30 29 Cutting services 54 56 56 57 DK/NA 10 14 14 14 16. Do you think an increase in taxes is necessary to balance the budget or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 40% 27% 54% 38% 40% 40% 42% No 55 68 41 58 57 53 53 DK/NA 5 5 5 4 3 7 5 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes 29% 49% 39% 43% 33% 37% 41% No 64 48 59 51 63 56 53 DK/NA 7 3 1 5 3 7 6 17. In order to balance the state budget, Governor Corbett has proposed cuts in state spending. Do you think Corbett's cuts in state spending go too far, not far enough or are they about right? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Too far 35% 17% 57% 27% 28% 41% 42% Not far enough 20 26 13 22 24 17 19 About right 31 46 17 37 36 26 25 DK/NA 14 11 13 14 12 15 15 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Too far 42% 39% 33% 35% 30% 33% 33% Not far enough 20 19 18 20 16 18 25 About right 24 23 35 33 35 38 29 DK/NA 13 19 13 11 18 11 12 18. To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose - layoffs for state employees? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 43% 62% 29% 46% 47% 40% 38% Oppose 50 33 64 46 48 52 57 DK/NA 6 5 7 8 5 7 4 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 44% 24% 42% 45% 44% 55% 48% Oppose 50 71 54 51 48 37 43 DK/NA 6 5 4 4 8 8 9 TREND: To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose layoffs for state employees? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010 Support 43 52 51 Oppose 50 40 41 DK/NA 6 8 9 19. To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose - leasing the Pennslyvania turnpike to a private company? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 36% 42% 31% 39% 38% 34% 34% Oppose 53 49 58 51 54 52 60 DK/NA 11 10 12 10 7 14 6 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 44% 40% 27% 41% 23% 36% 35% Oppose 43 49 61 51 62 54 54 DK/NA 12 10 12 8 15 10 11 TREND: To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose leasing the Pennsylvania turnpike to a private company? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010 Support 36 36 36 Oppose 53 51 52 DK/NA 11 13 12 20. To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose - selling off the state liquor stores? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 64% 72% 54% 73% 72% 58% 64% Oppose 28 19 39 21 22 32 28 DK/NA 8 8 7 6 6 10 8 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 67% 56% 69% 70% 52% 63% 65% Oppose 23 36 25 24 39 28 26 DK/NA 10 8 6 6 8 9 10 TREND: To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose selling off the state liquor stores? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010 Support 64 65 66 Oppose 28 26 26 DK/NA 8 9 8 21. To help balance the state budget, do you support or oppose - a wage freeze for state employees? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 68% 77% 60% 67% 67% 69% 58% Oppose 27 18 35 29 27 27 37 DK/NA 5 4 4 4 6 4 5 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 65% 56% 64% 65% 67% 75% 75% Oppose 29 38 27 32 23 20 22 DK/NA 5 6 9 3 10 4 3 22. To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose - cutting funding for state and state-related universities? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 32% 51% 17% 34% 40% 26% 29% Oppose 64 43 81 63 55 71 67 DK/NA 4 6 3 3 5 4 4 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 29% 28% 24% 30% 35% 35% 40% Oppose 70 70 72 66 60 57 56 DK/NA 1 2 4 4 5 8 4 23. To help balance the state budget do you support or oppose - a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas in the state's Marcellus Shale? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Support 69% 59% 77% 76% 71% 68% 80% Oppose 22 33 15 16 23 21 14 DK/NA 9 8 8 8 6 11 6 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Support 64% 69% 60% 71% 69% 76% 72% Oppose 25 21 25 22 22 19 21 DK/NA 10 10 15 7 9 4 7 24. Governor Tom Corbett has pledged that in trying to balance the state's budget deficit that he will not raise taxes or fees. Do you think Tom Corbett should have made this pledge or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 41% 57% 23% 43% 41% 40% 32% No 53 36 72 51 53 53 63 DK/NA 6 7 5 6 5 7 5 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes 39% 38% 42% 44% 34% 39% 42% No 51 59 54 51 55 57 51 DK/NA 10 4 4 5 11 4 7 TREND: Governor Tom Corbett has pledged that in trying to balance the state's budget deficit that he will not raise taxes or fees. Do you think Tom Corbett should have made this pledge or not? (*Governor-elect Tom Corbett) Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010* Yes 41 49 47 No 53 43 44 DK/NA 6 8 9 25. Do you think Tom Corbett will be able to keep his campaign pledge or not? Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Yes 33% 42% 23% 35% 36% 30% 30% No 57 46 69 57 55 59 59 DK/NA 10 12 8 8 9 11 11 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Yes 35% 43% 37% 29% 21% 34% 30% No 56 47 53 60 68 57 59 DK/NA 10 10 10 11 11 9 11 TREND: Do you think Tom Corbett will be able to keep his campaign pledge or not? Apr 27 Feb 16 Dec 15 2011 2011 2010 Yes 33 33 33 No 57 53 53 DK/NA 10 14 14 26. Which comes closer to your view regarding Governor Corbett's budget proposal - A)Taxes should not be raised, there should only be spending cuts, or B)Taxes should be raised so that there will be fewer spending cuts. Union Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom HsHlds Only cuts 55% 72% 38% 57% 60% 52% 50% Taxes/Fewer cuts 39 24 57 37 36 42 44 DK/NA 5 4 5 6 5 6 7 Alghny Philly NthEst SthEst NthWst SthWst Cntrl Only cuts 58% 49% 60% 49% 62% 57% 57% Taxes/Fewer cuts 39 45 35 45 34 35 38 DK/NA 3 6 5 6 5 8 6
