Florida (FL) Poll * October 24, 2007 * Florida Voters Support Parts O - Quinnipiac University

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October 24, 2007 - Florida Voters Support Parts Of Emerging Tax Cut Plan, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Voters Split On Tax Break For First-Time Home Buyers

Word format Florida voters support 74 - 16 doubling the homestead exemption, the existing "Save Our Homes" tax break, and support 57 - 28 percent making it portable, where the exemption applies when they buy a new house. But they split 46 - 44 percent about giving first-time homebuyers a tax break, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
In general, voters support 59 - 29 percent a constitutional amendment that would contain all three provisions the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) survey finds. If a constitutional amendment to cut property taxes makes it to the ballot in January, it will need 60 percent for passage.
Voters say 57 - 24 percent that that Gov. Charlie Crist has kept his campaign promises and his job approval rating remains very strong at 65 - 17 percent. Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink also are doing a good job in the eyes of voters, with a 44 - 17 percent approval for McCollum and a 38 - 15 percent score for Sink.
More than two in three Florida voters define a "significant" property tax cut, which lawmakers say they want to deliver, to be $500 or more for the average homeowner, and 39 percent define it as $1,000 or more. But only 25 percent of Floridians think they will get a "significant" reduction in property taxes during Crist's tenure.
"Although lawmakers still are wrangling about the specifics of a proposed constitutional amendment to cut property taxes, voters seem to like a package that contains two of the three major elements being discussed," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"The tax cut package under discussion with its three major elements has almost enough support to put it over the top, but it would not be a slam dunk. It is unclear how the addition by the Legislature of any other elements in the final days before the end of the month deadline would affect voter opinion on the package overall," Brown added.
Florida voters approve 53 - 29 percent of the way Crist is handling taxes in general and approve 45 - 39 percent of the way he is handling property taxes.
Voters disapprove 43 - 36 percent of the way the State Legislature is handling its job.
By a 60 - 21 percent margin, Florida voters say Crist is more committed to cutting property taxes than the State Legislature. And 55 percent say the property tax cut passed earlier this year is not large enough, while 30 percent say it is about right.
"Voters trust Gov. Crist a lot more than the Legislature on property taxes, don't think the tax cuts passed last spring were large enough and want the new plan to offer more than many think it will save," Brown said.
When Florida voters list which tax they dislike the most:
48 percent say property taxes; 21 percent list the Federal Income Tax; 12 percent say the Social Security Tax; 8 percent cite the state sales tax.
From October 17 - 22, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,025 Florida voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
For more data -- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x271.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.
31. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charlie Crist is handling his job as Governor?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 65% 75% 61% 61% 68% 62% 65% Disapprove 17 16 20 16 18 17 21 DK/NA 18 9 19 23 14 21 15 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 61% 66% 63% 63% 69% Disapprove 19 18 18 16 15 DK/NA 20 16 19 21 15
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charlie Crist is handling his job as Governor? * also 73% on 3/29/07 ** also 65% on 9/11/07
Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 Jun 6 Mar 29 Jul 19 Oct 24 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 * 2007** Approve 65 65 73 70 73 73 65 Disapprove 17 17 11 12 9 11 17 DK/NA 18 18 16 19 18 16 18
32. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 36% 49% 34% 28% 40% 32% 44% Disapprove 43 34 44 48 46 40 39 DK/NA 22 17 22 24 14 28 18 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 46% 32% 38% 23% 33% Disapprove 37 47 44 47 41 DK/NA 17 21 19 31 25
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job?
Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 Jun 6 Mar 29 Sep 23 Oct 24 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2004 2007 Approve 36 37 39 41 42 51 36 Disapprove 43 43 37 38 33 34 43 DK/NA 22 20 24 22 25 15 22
33. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Nelson is handling his job as United States Senator?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 48% 38% 60% 45% 48% 48% 51% Disapprove 24 35 20 21 29 20 23 DK/NA 28 27 20 34 24 32 25 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 49% 51% 50% 39% 46% Disapprove 23 23 27 25 24 DK/NA 28 26 24 37 30
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Nelson is handling his job as United States Senator?
Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 Jun 7 Mar 29 Feb 6 Aug 12 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2004 Approve 48 50 47 47 53 54 42 Disapprove 24 22 26 21 18 18 18 DK/NA 28 29 27 32 29 28 40
34. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mel Martinez is handling his job as United States Senator?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 35% 46% 28% 34% 37% 33% 45% Disapprove 34 27 43 30 36 31 24 DK/NA 31 26 29 36 27 36 31 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 37% 40% 37% 27% 29% Disapprove 27 31 37 30 39 DK/NA 36 29 26 43 32
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mel Martinez is handling his job as United States Senator?
Highest Lowest Approve Approve Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 Jun 7 Mar 29 Feb 6 Oct 24 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 Approve 35 38 36 37 44 48 35 Disapprove 34 33 38 34 25 22 34 DK/NA 31 29 26 30 31 29 31
35. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill McCollum is handling his job as Florida's attorney general?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 44% 59% 38% 39% 46% 42% 52% Disapprove 17 10 25 16 18 17 14 DK/NA 39 31 38 45 36 41 33 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 43% 48% 47% 35% 41% Disapprove 20 19 17 19 15 DK/NA 37 33 37 46 44
36. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Alex Sink is handling her job as Florida's chief financial officer?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 38% 41% 42% 34% 44% 33% 37% Disapprove 15 14 16 16 15 16 17 DK/NA 47 45 43 50 41 52 46 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Approve 42% 41% 32% 35% 38% Disapprove 14 19 17 7 14 DK/NA 44 39 51 58 48
38. Now, turning to some issues here in Florida - In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Florida today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Very satisfied 5% 9% 1% 5% 7% 4% 7% Smwht satisfied 42 47 41 40 42 43 53 Smwht dissatisfied 33 32 32 36 31 34 24 Very dissatisfied 19 11 24 18 20 18 15 DK/NA 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Very satisfied 9% 5% 4% 4% 3% 5% Smwht satisfied 49 39 52 41 32 44 Smwht dissatisfied 26 30 28 38 43 34 Very dissatisfied 13 26 16 17 21 17 DK/NA 2 1 1 - 1 1
TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Florida today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 Dec 20 Jun 29 May 24 Apr 19 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006 2006 Very satisfied 5 7 8 10 13 15 14 Smwht satisfied 42 40 45 41 45 41 45 Smwht dissatisfied 33 33 33 29 26 25 24 Very dissatisfied 19 18 13 19 16 18 15 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
39. Do you think that Charlie Crist has kept his campaign promises so far or not?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 57% 63% 55% 56% 59% 55% 57% No 24 21 28 24 24 25 22 DK/NA 19 16 17 21 18 20 22 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Yes 60% 58% 51% 49% 61% 59% No 18 26 27 33 23 25 DK/NA 21 16 21 18 17 16
TREND: Do you think that Charlie Crist has kept his campaign promises so far or not?
Oct 24 Sep 11 Feb 6 2007 2007 2007 Yes 57 55 67 No 24 23 6 DK/NA 19 22 27
40. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Governor Crist is handling taxes?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 53% 63% 51% 45% 58% 48% 55% Disapprove 29 25 30 32 27 30 30 DK/NA 19 11 19 24 15 22 16 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Approve 56% 46% 52% 54% 55% 55% Disapprove 23 35 28 30 28 30 DK/NA 20 19 19 15 17 16
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Governor Crist is handling taxes?
Oct 24 Sep 11 2007 2007 Approve 53 47 Disapprove 29 35 DK/NA 19 18
41. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Governor Crist is handling property taxes?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 45% 52% 44% 39% 47% 43% 47% Disapprove 39 35 39 44 39 39 40 DK/NA 16 14 16 16 14 18 13 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Approve 54% 37% 44% 45% 46% 46% Disapprove 32 44 39 43 40 39 DK/NA 15 19 17 12 14 15
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Governor Crist is handling property taxes?
Oct 24 Sep 11 2007 2007 Approve 45 39 Disapprove 39 46 DK/NA 16 15
42. Which tax do you dislike the most -- federal income tax, federal Social Security tax, state sales tax, or local property tax?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Fed income tax 21% 30% 17% 19% 22% 21% 23% Fed Soc Sec tax 12 10 15 11 10 15 12 State sales tax 8 5 11 9 7 10 8 Local property tax 48 49 47 53 51 46 48 DK/NA 10 6 10 9 10 9 9 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Fed income tax 26% 20% 23% 32% 14% 22% Fed Soc Sec tax 16 10 7 9 17 10 State sales tax 9 9 14 6 3 8 Local property tax 41 51 47 45 54 50 DK/NA 9 10 8 8 13 9
43. Do you think property taxes will drop significantly during Crist's term or not?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 25% 25% 28% 23% 26% 25% 26% No 59 60 57 61 61 58 62 ALREADY HAVE (VOL) - - - - - - - DK/NA 15 15 14 16 13 17 11 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Yes 24% 27% 20% 18% 32% 25% No 62 62 60 72 51 61 ALREADY HAVE (VOL) - - - - 1 - DK/NA 14 11 20 11 16 14
TREND: Do you think property taxes will drop significantly during Crist's term or not?
Oct 24 Sep 11 2007 2007 Yes 25 29 No 59 62 ALREADY HAVE (VOL) - 1 DK/NA 15 9
44. How much would property taxes for the average homeowners have to be cut for you to consider it a "significant drop" - about $100 per year, about $250 per year, about $500 per year, or more than $1000 per year?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl About $100 5% 4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% About $250 14 12 16 14 10 18 20 About $500 28 26 29 30 30 27 29 About $1,000 18 17 20 19 19 17 14 More than $1,000 21 28 18 17 24 18 17 DK/NA 15 14 13 15 13 16 15 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners About $100 9% 2% 6% 2% 3% 4% About $250 20 12 17 14 7 16 About $500 30 34 27 35 20 28 About $1,000 11 18 21 11 24 18 More than $1,000 14 20 15 23 32 20 DK/NA 16 14 15 15 13 13
45. Who do you think is more committed to cutting property taxes - Governor Crist or the State Legislature?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Governor 60% 65% 59% 57% 61% 59% 59% Legislature 21 21 22 19 21 20 23 DK/NA 20 14 19 24 18 21 17 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Governor 62% 65% 54% 55% 61% 63% Legislature 21 16 23 26 21 19 DK/NA 18 19 23 19 19 18
46. As you may know, the state has already passed a new property tax law cutting property taxes this year by an average of about 3 to 9 percent depending on where you live. Is this year's cut in property taxes too large, not large enough, or about right?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Too large 4% 4% 4% 2% 2% 5% 4% Not large enough 55 56 51 58 58 51 53 About right 30 31 34 27 31 30 35 DK/NA 11 9 11 12 9 13 8 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Too large 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 4% Not large enough 39 61 50 55 66 55 About right 45 25 34 31 21 31 DK/NA 12 11 12 11 10 10
TREND: As you may know, the state has already passed a new property tax law cutting property taxes this year by an average of about 3 to 9 percent depending on where you live. Is this year's cut in property taxes too large, not large enough, or about right?
Oct 24 Sep 11 Jul 19 2007 2007 2007 Too large 4 8 8 Not large enough 55 49 47 About right 30 29 29 DK/NA 11 13 16
47. How much have you heard or read about a special legislative session recently called to reduce property taxes in Florida - A lot, some, only a little or nothing at all?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl A lot 22% 19% 21% 27% 29% 16% 19% Some 35 41 35 31 35 35 32 Only a little 28 26 29 30 26 30 36 Nothing at all 13 13 13 11 9 16 11 DK/NA 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners A lot 18% 22% 19% 10% 33% 25% Some 34 40 29 39 37 37 Only a little 30 27 37 34 17 27 Nothing at all 16 11 13 15 10 10 DK/NA 2 1 2 2 3 2
48. Florida homeowners who qualify for the Homestead tax exemption currently pay property taxes on $25,000 less than their home's assessed value. Do you support or oppose doubling the exemption on most homes to $50,000 less than a home's assessed property value?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 74% 81% 69% 75% 81% 69% 78% Oppose 16 14 19 15 12 18 17 DK/NA 10 5 12 10 7 13 6 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Support 73% 76% 76% 74% 73% 79% Oppose 19 15 16 15 13 14 DK/NA 8 9 8 10 15 7
49. Do you support or oppose giving people buying their first home in Florida, including those moving here from out of state, an additional property tax exemption of 25 percent of their new homes assessed value?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 46% 50% 47% 44% 47% 45% 42% Oppose 44 42 40 50 45 43 49 DK/NA 10 7 13 6 7 12 9 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Support 43% 45% 46% 46% 50% 44% Oppose 46 47 45 48 37 47 DK/NA 11 8 9 5 13 9
50. Do you support or oppose the "Save Our Homes" tax cap which limits annual assesment increases to 3 percent giving long-time homeowners lower taxes than residents who have recently purchased homes of similar value?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 71% 76% 69% 69% 72% 70% 74% Oppose 17 13 18 21 18 16 15 DK/NA 12 11 12 10 10 14 11 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Support 74% 70% 73% 71% 67% 73% Oppose 15 16 17 19 19 16 DK/NA 12 14 10 10 14 10
51. Do you support or oppose allowing homeowners who move to take some of that tax break with them?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 57% 56% 58% 59% 61% 54% 48% Oppose 28 31 26 28 29 27 36 DK/NA 15 12 16 14 11 19 16 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Support 43% 64% 54% 64% 63% 58% Oppose 38 23 34 17 21 28 DK/NA 19 13 13 18 16 14
52. In general, do you support or oppose a constitutional amendment that would double the homestead exemption, give an additional 25 percent exemption to first-time homebuyers and allow homeowners to take part of their "Save Our Homes" savings with them if they move?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 59% 60% 61% 56% 62% 55% 55% Oppose 29 29 26 32 27 30 37 DK/NA 13 11 13 12 10 15 9 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners Support 46% 62% 59% 62% 63% 58% Oppose 39 27 30 27 21 32 DK/NA 15 10 11 12 15 11
53. In general, how much money do you expect to save in your annual property tax bill if the proposal becomes law - about $100, about $250, about $500, about $1,000 or more than $1,000?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl About $100 15% 14% 19% 11% 15% 14% 16% About $250 25 30 22 25 27 23 25 About $500 16 16 17 17 17 16 19 About $1,000 8 6 8 9 9 7 6 More than $1,000 8 9 9 6 8 8 5 NONE/DONT OWN PROP 9 8 9 9 8 9 7 DK/NA 20 18 16 22 16 23 22 North/ PnHnd Bay Cntrl SthW SthE Hmowners About $100 17% 16% 14% 17% 11% 17% About $250 29 21 24 31 24 26 About $500 18 21 16 14 13 18 About $1,000 5 7 9 6 10 7 More than $1,000 3 7 6 5 16 7 NONE/DONT OWN PROP 11 10 7 5 8 - DK/NA 16 19 24 22 19 25