Connecticut Survey of 500 Likely Voters Conducted February 20, 2011
By Pulse Opinion Research for Yankee Institute for Public Policy
1* How would you rate the job Barack Obama has been doing as President… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
30% Strongly approve 34% Somewhat approve 10% Somewhat disapprove 27% Strongly disapprove 0% Not sure
2* How would you rate the job Dan Malloy has been doing as Governor… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
18% Strongly approve 32% Somewhat approve 19% Somewhat disapprove 27% Strongly disapprove 3% Not sure
3* If President Obama runs for re-election in the year 2012, will you probably vote for President Obama or probably vote for the Republican candidate?
52% Probably vote for President Obama
35% Probably vote for the Republican candidate 13% Not sure
4* Thinking about the health care bill signed into law by Barack Obama last year, do you think Congress should repeal the health care law and start over, or do you think Congress should keep the health care law?
45% Repeal the health care law and start over 44% Congress should keep the health care law 12% Not sure
5* Next, let’s turn to Connecticut’s state budget which has a deficit of about 3.7 billion dollars… Which approach would you choose for dealing with the state’s budget shortfall … rely entirely on spending cuts with no tax increases … rely mainly on spending cuts, with some tax increases … have an even balance of spending cuts and tax increases … rely mainly on tax increases, with some spending cuts … or rely entirely on tax increases, with no spending cuts?
27% Rely entirely on spending cuts with no tax increases
30% Rely mainly on spending cuts, with some tax increases 30% Have an even balance of spending cuts and tax increases 10% Rely mainly on tax increases, with some spending cuts 1% Rely entirely on tax increases, with no spending cuts 2% Not sure
6* Governor Malloy’s proposal would cut $750 million from the budget in social services, higher education, and agency consolidations. Do you support or oppose these spending cuts?
47% Support 28% Oppose 24% Not sure
7* Governor Malloy’s proposal would cut a billion dollars through concessions from state employees such as wage freezes, unpaid furlough days, and higher contributions to health care. Do you support or oppose seeking concessions from state employees?
71% Support 20% Oppose 9% Not sure8* Governor Malloy’s proposal would increase income taxes on anyone making more than $50,000 a year and would increase the highest income tax rate from 6.5 to 6.7 percent. Do you support or oppose increasing the income tax?38% Support 54% Oppose 8% Not sure9* Governor Malloy’s proposal would increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 6.35 percent. Do you support or oppose increasing the sales tax?
43% Support 53% Oppose 4% Not sure10* Governor Malloy’s proposal would apply the sales tax to now-exempt items such as hair cuts, car washes, and clothing and footwear that costs less than $50. Do you support or oppose expanding the sales tax?
34% Support 60% Oppose 6% Not sure11* Governor Malloy’s proposal would raise taxes on cigarettes by 40 cents a pack and would raise taxes on alcohol by 20 percent. Do you support or oppose raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol?
68% Support 29% Oppose 3% Not sure12* Governor Malloy’s proposal would eliminate the existing $500 property tax credit for the middle class. Do you support or oppose eliminating the property tax credit?
15% Support 73% Oppose 12% Not sure13* Governor Malloy’s proposal would increase the state gas tax from 25 cents a gallon to 28 cents a gallon. Do you support or oppose increasing the gas tax?
31% Support 67% Oppose 2% Not sure
14* Governor Malloy has proposed an Earned Income Tax Credit for low income households that earn less than about $21,000 a year from their jobs. Such households would be eligible for a tax refund of about $1,700 even though they did not pay any state income taxes because their income was too low. This credit would be in addition to an existing federal earned income tax credit of more than $5,000 such households are already eligible for. The new tax credit would cost Connecticut taxpayers more than $100 million a year in new spending. Do you support or oppose a STATE Earned Income Tax Credit for low income households?
21% Support 68% Oppose 12% Not sure
15* Have you or your family ever considered moving out of Connecticut because of high taxes?
58% Yes 39% No 3% Not sure
16* Do you consider yourself a supporter of the Tea Party Movement?
20% Yes 63% No 17% Not sureNOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
