New York City (NYC) Poll * June 16, 2009 * Bloomberg Tops Thompson At The - Quinnipiac University

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June 16, 2009 - Bloomberg Tops Thompson At The Polls And The Picnic, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Mayor's Spending Is Overkill

Word format Mayor Michael Bloomberg tops City Comptroller William Thompson, his chief Democratic challenger, 54 - 32 percent among New York City voters, who also say 62 - 28 percent that they'd rather chat with the Mayor at a July 4th picnic, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Even black voters would rather picnic with Bloomberg 52 - 37 percent.
Bloomberg sweeps the political spectrum, leading Thompson 49 - 40 percent among Democrats, 71 - 12 percent among Republicans and 59 - 26 percent among independent voters, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Black voters split with 43 percent for Bloomberg and 42 percent for Thompson. The Mayor leads 60 - 26 percent among whites and 50 - 37 percent among Hispanics.
By a 57 - 27 percent margin, Bloomberg tops Queens City Council member Tony Avella. Thompson tops Avella in a Democratic primary 36 - 8 percent, with 46 percent undecided.
The Mayor gets a 66 - 27 percent approval rating, compared to 64 - 28 percent March 24, but voters say 56 - 36 percent that Bloomberg's campaign spending is "overkill."
By a 50 - 42 percent margin, New York City voters do not believe Bloomberg's comment that President Barack Obama "doesn't get paid that much" shows the Mayor is out of touch.
"This latest survey shows the challenges Comptroller William Thompson faces as he tries to portray Mayor Michael Bloomberg as unlikable and out of touch, and as he tries to build a base of black voters," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Black, white and Hispanic voters all would sooner share a July 4th hot dog and a beer with Mayor Mike than with Bill Thompson."
"The Bloomberg blitz of early campaign spending is overkill, New Yorkers think. But whether or not it's the spending, the Mayor's approval, and his lead in the reelection campaign, remain high," Carroll said. "Council member Avella is all but anonymous and there's even a sizable 'don't know' about Thompson, although he holds a citywide job of real importance."
New York City voters give Bloomberg a 64 - 30 percent favorability. Thompson gets a 29 - 6 percent favorability, but 63 percent don't know enough about him to form an opinion. For Avella, 87 percent don't know enough to form an opinion.
Voters approve 50 - 10 percent, with 40 percent undecided, of the way Thompson is handling his job as Comptroller.
A total of 69 percent of New York City voters say a candidate's "likeable personality" is "very important" or "somewhat important" in their vote for Mayor.
Spending millions of his own dollars keeps Bloomberg free of special interests, 49 percent of voters say, while 42 percent say this spending gives him an unfair advantage.
"More voters think that being a zillionaire means Bloomberg is free of political pressure than that it gives him an unfair advantage," Carroll said.
"And they apparently think - although narrowly - that it's just the way zillionaires are. No, a lot of them say, his statement about Obama's salary not being 'that much' doesn't show he's out of touch with ordinary folks."
New York City voters approve 79 - 16 percent of the job President Obama is doing.
A total of 59 percent of New York City voters are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the way things are going in the City today, while 40 percent are "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied."
From June 9 - 14, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,396 New York City registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. The survey includes 876 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and nationwide as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.
1. (If registered Democrat) If the 2009 Democratic primary for Mayor were being held today and the candidates were Tony Avella and William Thompson, for whom would you vote?
Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Avella 8% 7% 5% 16% 5% 11% Thompson 36 33 47 24 45 30 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 4 5 2 4 5 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 5 6 3 4 5 5 DK/NA 46 49 42 51 40 51
4. If the 2009 election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were William Thompson the Democrat and Michael Bloomberg the Independent, for whom would you vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Thompson 32% 12% 40% 26% 26% 42% 37% Bloomberg 54 71 49 59 60 43 50 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 3 1 1 1 - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 - 2 1 1 1 DK/NA 12 12 11 12 11 14 11 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Thompson 32% 38% 28% 31% 22% 33% 31% Bloomberg 56 49 56 52 68 54 53 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 1 1 1 2 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 1 2 1 1 1 DK/NA 11 12 14 13 7 10 14
TREND: If the 2009 election for mayor were being held today, and the candidates were William Thompson the Democrat and Michael Bloomberg the Independent, for whom would you vote?
Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Nov 25 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 Thompson 32 35 33 34 34 Bloomberg 54 49 50 50 49 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 2 1 2 DK/NA 12 14 13 13 14
5. If the 2009 election for Mayor were being held today, and the candidates were Tony Avella the Democrat and Michael Bloomberg the Independent, for whom would you vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Avella 27% 14% 33% 21% 22% 34% 34% Bloomberg 57 70 53 63 62 51 49 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 4 1 2 3 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 2 1 3 2 1 2 DK/NA 12 10 12 12 12 13 13 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Avella 27% 33% 23% 26% 18% 28% 26% Bloomberg 59 53 61 55 68 57 57 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - 1 2 3 1 2 1 DK/NA 11 12 13 14 11 10 14
6. Is your opinion of - Tony Avella favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 9% 6% 9% 9% 9% 7% 10% Unfavorable 4 7 3 4 4 5 3 Hvn't hrd enough 87 85 87 86 86 87 86 REFUSED 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Favorable 7% 11% 6% 10% 5% 9% 8% Unfavorable 3 2 5 4 3 5 3 Hvn't hrd enough 89 85 88 84 90 85 88 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
7. Is your opinion of - William Thompson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 29% 13% 33% 28% 26% 39% 24% Unfavorable 6 19 4 4 9 4 4 Hvn't hrd enough 63 66 61 66 63 56 71 REFUSED 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Favorable 34% 30% 29% 29% 15% 32% 26% Unfavorable 5 5 7 5 15 8 5 Hvn't hrd enough 59 64 62 65 68 58 68 REFUSED 2 1 2 1 1 2 1
TREND: Is your opinion of - William Thompson favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Nov 25 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 Favorable 29 25 22 25 25 Unfavorable 6 5 5 5 4 Hvn't hrd enough 63 68 71 69 70 REFUSED 2 2 1 2 1
8. Is your opinion of - Michael Bloomberg favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 64% 69% 64% 64% 67% 61% 59% Unfavorable 30 27 30 30 28 33 32 Hvn't hrd enough 3 2 3 3 2 3 4 REFUSED 3 2 3 3 3 4 5 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Favorable 67% 57% 68% 66% 67% 63% 64% Unfavorable 25 35 26 30 27 32 28 Hvn't hrd enough 1 5 2 2 1 2 4 REFUSED 6 2 4 2 5 2 4
TREND: Is your opinion of - Michael Bloomberg favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Nov 25 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 Favorable 64 62 62 66 61 Unfavorable 30 31 32 28 31 Hvn't hrd enough 3 3 2 3 4 REFUSED 3 4 4 3 3
9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 66% 68% 67% 67% 69% 63% 66% Disapprove 27 28 27 25 26 29 26 DK/NA 7 4 6 8 5 8 7 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 73% 60% 69% 67% 68% 66% 67% Disapprove 18 33 26 26 27 28 25 DK/NA 9 7 6 7 5 6 8
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling his job as Mayor? (*also 75% on 10/03/08, 3/12/08, 1/16/07 & 11/17/05)
APPROVE....... DIS.. High Low High Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Oct 21 Jul 2 Jul 2 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008* 2003 2003 Approve 66 64 65 69 75 31 31 Disapprove 27 28 29 25 20 60 60 DK/NA 7 8 6 6 6 8 8
11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way William Thompson is handling his job as City Comptroller?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 50% 41% 54% 49% 48% 61% 44% Disapprove 10 18 8 11 9 10 12 DK/NA 40 41 38 40 43 30 44 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 59% 47% 46% 52% 41% 52% 47% Disapprove 10 9 13 8 15 12 9 DK/NA 30 43 41 40 44 35 44
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way William Thompson is handling his job as City Comptroller?
APPROVE....... DIS.. High Low High Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Oct 3 Feb 26 Jul 2 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 2003 2003 Approve 50 41 46 48 53 35 38 Disapprove 10 12 11 12 13 13 20 DK/NA 40 47 44 40 34 52 42
12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 79% 26% 94% 74% 68% 95% 84% Disapprove 16 65 3 19 25 2 13 DK/NA 6 9 3 8 7 3 3 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 85% 75% 85% 80% 58% 76% 81% Disapprove 8 19 11 15 36 18 13 DK/NA 7 6 4 6 5 5 6
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Jun 16 Feb 25 2009 2009 Approve 79 78 Disapprove 16 13 DK/NA 6 9
13. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York City today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Very satisfied 8% 10% 9% 6% 8% 4% 13% Smwht satisfied 51 43 54 49 54 55 42 Smwht dissatisfied 27 24 26 30 25 26 31 Very dissatisfied 13 22 10 14 11 13 13 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very satisfied 13% 8% 10% 6% 7% 9% 8% Smwht satisfied 47 53 54 50 43 51 50 Smwht dissatisfied 27 24 24 30 38 25 28 Very dissatisfied 12 14 12 15 11 13 13 DK/NA - 2 1 - 1 1 1
TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York City today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
VERY+SMWHT... High Low Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 28 Nov 25 Feb 11 Jul 2 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 1998 2003 Very satisfied 8 8 5 8 6 18 7 Smwht satisfied 51 45 44 47 42 58 23 Smwht dissatisfied 27 31 33 30 32 18 32 Very dissatisfied 13 14 17 15 18 5 38 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
14. Regardless of how you intend to vote, whom would you rather chat with at a July 4th picnic - William Thompson or Michael Bloomberg?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Thompson 28% 19% 31% 27% 23% 37% 34% Bloomberg 62 75 59 64 67 52 57 DK/NA 10 6 10 9 10 11 9 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Thompson 30% 31% 25% 28% 24% 29% 28% Bloomberg 60 57 66 62 72 63 61 DK/NA 10 12 9 10 5 8 11
15. When you decide how to vote for mayor, how important is it to you that the candidate have a likeable personality - very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Very important 30% 21% 34% 23% 18% 45% 41% Smwht important 39 44 40 38 44 32 32 Not too important 20 24 18 24 25 14 18 Not important at all 10 10 8 14 13 8 8 DK/NA 1 1 - - 1 1 1 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Very important 34% 32% 26% 30% 25% 25% 34% Smwht important 40 36 41 40 38 39 38 Not too important 16 20 23 19 26 21 19 Not important at all 10 11 9 10 10 13 8 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 1 1
16. As you may know, Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent millions of dollars of his own money to be elected Mayor and says he will do the same in this year's race for Mayor. Which comes closer to your point of view - A) By financing his own campaigns Bloomberg is free from being beholden to lobbyists and other special interests who would otherwise finance his campaign or B) By financing his own campaigns Bloomberg has an unfair advantage and looks like he is trying to buy the election?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp A) Free of special interests 49% 67% 44% 53% 53% 43% 45% B) Unfair/Buying election 42 27 48 37 40 49 45 DK/NA 9 5 8 9 6 8 10 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom A) Free of special interests 55% 42% 48% 52% 58% 51% 47% B) Unfair/Buying election 36 50 41 40 36 42 43 DK/NA 9 8 11 8 6 7 10
TREND: As you may know, Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent millions of dollars of his own money to be elected Mayor and says he will do the same in this year's race for Mayor. Which comes closer to your point of view - A) By financing his own campaigns Bloomberg is free from being beholden to lobbyists and other special interests who would otherwise finance his campaign or B) By financing his own campaigns Bloomberg has an unfair advantage and looks like he is trying to buy the election?
Jun 16 Mar 24 Feb 24 Jan 27 Mar 30 2009 2009 2009 2009 2005 A) Free of special interests 49 50 57 54 47 B) Unfair/Buying election 42 42 37 40 45 DK/NA 9 8 6 6 83
17. Some people say that Mayor Bloomberg's campaign spending is a case of overkill. Do you agree or disagree?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Agree 56% 43% 60% 55% 56% 59% 53% Disagree 36 50 33 37 36 34 36 DK/NA 9 7 7 8 8 6 11 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Agree 45% 60% 58% 57% 46% 58% 54% Disagree 49 30 31 35 46 36 35 DK/NA 6 9 10 8 8 6 11
18. Some people say that Mayor Bloomberg's comment that President Obama doesn't get paid that much suggests that the mayor is out of touch with average New Yorkers. Do you agree or disagree?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Agree 42% 36% 44% 41% 40% 46% 40% Disagree 50 55 48 51 53 44 51 DK/NA 9 9 8 8 7 10 8 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Agree 38% 46% 43% 39% 37% 42% 41% Disagree 52 43 53 51 60 52 48 DK/NA 10 12 5 9 3 5 11
19. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling taxes?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Wht Blk Hisp Approve 44% 44% 44% 45% 51% 39% 37% Disapprove 43 47 42 43 38 50 53 DK/NA 13 9 13 12 11 12 10 Brnx Kngs Man Qns StIsl Men Wom Approve 49% 39% 51% 42% 44% 48% 41% Disapprove 39 49 32 45 53 43 43 DK/NA 12 13 17 13 3 9 16
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Michael Bloomberg is handling taxes?
Jun 16 Feb 25 Jan 28 Nov 25 Oct 22 May 7 Feb 26 2009 2009 2009 2008 2003 2003 2003 Approve 44 46 47 45 28 26 32 Disapprove 43 44 42 44 61 67 59 DK/NA 13 10 11 11 11 7 8