45°
Connecticut voters disapprove 68 percent vs. 24 percent of the job Malloy is doing, his worst approval rating ever and one of the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for a governor in any of the nine states surveyed by the Quinnipiac University Poll. Former Gov. John Rowland, who ended up resigning and going to prison in a corruption scandal, had a 69 percent vs. 24 percent disapproval rating Feb. 19, 2004.
Malloy's lowest rating before this was a 58 percent vs. 32 percent disapproval in an Oct. 14 survey by the Quinnipiac University Poll.
"Voters feel Connecticut's economy is going down the drain and they are sending Gov. Dannel Malloy's approval ratings right down the same drain. Even Democrats disapprove of the way he is doing his job," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.
"Gov. Malloy has lost ground on almost every measure. When things get tough, voters usually blame the person in charge, fairly or unfairly."
The poll came after a protracted battle over the state budget, which includes deep cuts as well as large layoffs of state workers.
Only 3 percent of Connecticut voters are "very satisfied" with the way things are going in the state, with 25 percent "somewhat satisfied." Another 33 percent are "somewhat dissatisfied" with 39 percent "very dissatisfied."
This combined 28 percent vs. 72 percent negative satisfaction rate is the lowest ever for Connecticut, edging out a negative 29 percent vs. 71 percent recorded Sept. 15, 2011.
Malloy gets negative character ratings:
- 36 percent vs. 57 percent that he has strong leadership qualities;
- 37 percent vs. 52 percent that he is honest and trustworthy;
- 32 percent vs. 61 percent that he cares about voter needs and problems.
In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, 36 percent of Connecticut voters say the economy is the most important problem facing the state today, while 20 percent cite the budget and 17 percent list taxes.
Malloy gets deeply negative approval ratings for his handling of those three issues:
- 18 percent vs. 76 percent for his handling of the economy and jobs;
- 16 percent vs. 77 percent for his handling of the budget;
- 18 percent vs. 76 percent for his handling of taxes.
Only 20 percent of Connecticut voters say the state's economy is "excellent" or "good," while 80 percent say it is "not so good" or "poor."
The state's economy is getting worse, 53 percent of voters say, while 6 percent say it is getting better and 41 percent say it is the same.
Only 29 percent of voters say they are better off financially than they were a year ago, while 45 percent say they are worse off and 24 percent say they are the same.
But 42 percent expect to be better off this time next year, while 30 percent expect to be worse off and 19 percent expect to be the same.
Jobs are difficult to find in their community, 74 percent of Connecticut voters say.
"You know people are hurting financially when 60 percent of voters say they would find it difficult to pay an unexpected bill of $1,000 immediately," Schwartz said. "Voters are sending a clear message: Connecticut's economy needs fixing."
From June 1 to 5, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,330 Connecticut voters with a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Shelton and receive free news updates.
