New York State (NY) Poll * March 5, 2010 * Big 48-Hour Drop In Paterson S - Quinnipiac University

Home> Institutes and Centers> Quinnipiac University Polling Institute> New York State (NY)> Release Detail

March 5, 2010 - Big 48-Hour Drop In Paterson Support, Quinnipiac University New York State Poll Finds; Slim Plurality Want Governor To Finish Term

Word format In a significant 48-hour drop in support, New York State voters say 46 - 42 percent that Gov. David Paterson should finish his term rather than resign, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Another 12 percent are undecided.
Today's finding is a substantial drop from the 61 - 31 percent support for Gov. Paterson serving out the year in a March 3 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.
In this latest survey of 1,325 voters conducted March 3 and 4, 45 percent of women say Paterson should stay and 40 percent say he should resign. Men say 47 - 44 percent that he should stay. Black voters want the Governor to stay 55 - 36 percent, while white voters are split 44 - 44 percent.
Voters disapprove 61 - 21 percent of the job Gov. Paterson is doing. This is the lowest approval rating ever recorded for an elected official in 18 years of Quinnipiac University polling except for former President George W. Bush and former Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, who had approval ratings of 18 and 19 percent just before they left office.
"Support for Gov. David Paterson erodes with every new headline. New York State voters started the week giving the Governor the benefit of the doubt 2-1. Now, there is more doubt and less benefit as he clings to a bare plurality of support," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"Voters surveyed Monday and Tuesday were in favor of keeping Paterson by a net 30 points. On Wednesday and Thursday, voter support was a net four points. That's a 26-point drop in two days."
"President George W. Bush and Sen. Robert Torricelli may have lower grades than Paterson, but both of them were on their way out the door," Carroll added.
New York State voters say 37 - 32 percent that Paterson would do a better job than Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch for the rest of the year, with 31 percent undecided. This compares to a 47 - 29 percent vote for Paterson March 3.
Paterson and the State Legislature will not be able to work together on a state budget, voters say 64 - 26 percent.
"By more than a 2-1 margin, voters have a bad feeling about the outcome of Albany's historically tortuous budget negotiations," Carroll said. "We didn't even bother to ask about the prospects of getting a budget by the April 1 deadline."
New York State voters say 47 - 43 percent that the State Constitution should be amended so the Governor can name a Lt. Governor when that position becomes vacant.
From March 3 - 4, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,325 New York State registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 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, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.
1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his job as Governor?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 21% 20% 21% 24% 22% 20% 20% 32% Disapprove 61 67 60 61 64 59 65 43 DK/NA 18 13 19 15 14 21 15 25 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Approve 20% 20% 20% 21% 23% Disapprove 74 61 63 58 63 DK/NA 6 19 17 21 15
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way David Paterson is handling his job as Governor?
APPROVE....... DIS... High Low High Mar 5 Mar 3 Feb 3 Dec 15 Aug 6 Mar 5 Mar 3 2010 2010 2010 2009 2008 2010 2010 Approve 21 24 37 40 64 21 24 Disapprove 61 62 54 49 14 61 62 DK/NA 18 15 8 11 22 18 15
2. Do you think Governor Paterson should serve his full term until December 31 or should he resign?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Serve full term 46% 46% 47% 48% 47% 45% 44% 55% Resign 42 43 44 41 44 40 44 36 DK/NA 12 11 9 10 9 15 11 9 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Serve full term 56% 44% 46% 49% 41% Resign 38 41 41 38 51 DK/NA 6 14 13 13 9
TREND: Do you think Governor Paterson should serve his full term until December 31 or should he resign?
Mar 5 Mar 3 2010 2010 Serve full term 46 61 Resign 42 31 DK/NA 12 9
3. Who do you think would more effectively govern New York state until December 31 - David Paterson or Richard Ravitch?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Paterson 37% 33% 36% 41% 39% 35% 35% 51% Ravitch 32 33 33 29 35 29 32 26 DK/NA 31 34 30 30 26 37 33 23 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Paterson 42% 36% 37% 39% 33% Ravitch 21 27 26 32 41 DK/NA 36 37 37 29 26
TREND: Who do you think would more effectively govern New York state until December 31 - David Paterson or Richard Ravitch?
Mar 5 Mar 3 2010 2010 Paterson 37 47 Ravitch 32 29 DK/NA 31 23
4. Do you think that Governor Paterson and the state legislature will be able to effectively work together on the New York state budget or not?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 26% 25% 28% 24% 24% 28% 22% 47% No 64 65 58 72 70 59 69 40 DK/NA 10 10 13 4 6 12 9 12 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes 20% 19% 19% 36% 24% No 68 72 72 54 67 DK/NA 12 9 9 11 8
5. Do you think the state constitution should be amended so the governor can name a lieutenant governor when that position is vacant?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 47% 41% 49% 52% 48% 45% 43% 57% No 43 50 41 37 45 41 46 32 DK/NA 10 9 10 10 6 14 11 11 UpState..... UpState Urban Othr Total NYC Sub Yes 42% 43% 43% 53% 44% No 49 48 48 34 46 DK/NA 10 8 9 13 10
TREND: Do you think the state constitution should be amended so the governor can name a lieutenant governor when that position is vacant?
Mar 5 Aug 18 2010 2009 Yes 47 54 No 43 37 DK/NA 10 9