FOR RELEASE: JULY 26, 2012
NEW YORK VOTERS NIX PAY RAISE FOR LAWMAKERS 5-1,QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS;VOTERS BACK HIGHER TAXES FOR RICH, HEALTH CARE LAW
New York State voters oppose 80 – 16 percent a pay raise for state legislators. Opposition is over 70 percent among every group and in every part of the state, except voters with household incomeof more than $250,000, who oppose the pay raise 53 – 45 percent, according to a QuinnipiacUniversity poll released today.Suggesting a pay raise for legislators as part of a deal to increase the minimum wage in New York State is a bad idea, voters say 66 – 28 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack) University poll finds. Again, there is strong opposition from every group and in everyregion.Linking a legislative pay raise to a law limiting the size of campaign contributions also is a bad idea, voters say 63 – 28 percent, with every group opposed by wide margins.When asked, however, how often state legislators should get a pay raise:
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3 percent say every year;
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43 percent say every two to five years;
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23 percent say every six to 10 years;
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12 percent say less often;
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10 percent say never.“The talk in Albany says there’ll be a legislative pay raise voted in a special session after the election, but it doesn't look like a popular idea,” said Maurice Carroll, director of theQuinnipiac University Polling Institute.“Could there be a deal? Bigger legislative paychecks in exchange for some campaign-finance reforms? How about buying some love for lawmakers by raising the minimum wage?Voters want none of it. More than two out of three voters say state legislators should get a raiseevery six to 10 years, or less, but Albany lawmakers haven’t had a raise in 13 years.“Lawmakers looking for a raise might want to get that message out to the voters.”
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Maurice Carroll, Director,Quinnipiac University PollingInstitute(203) 582-5334Rubenstein Associates, Inc.Public Relations
Quinnipiac University Poll/July 26, 2012 – page 2
Voters do not believe 80 – 15 percent, that raising legislators’ pay will attract better candidates for office. The Legislature gets a negative 31 – 51 percent approval rating, the bestscore since a negative 32 – 50 percent rating in a February 17, 2009, Quinnipiac University poll.Drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale splits voters right down the middle 43 – 44 percent. Republicans support drilling 66 – 23 percent. Democrats oppose drilling 53 – 32 percent.Among independent voters, 44 percent support drilling while 47 percent oppose it.Upstate voters split 43 – 44 percent, as New York City voters say no 46 – 41 percent andsuburban voters say yes to drilling 48 – 40 percent.Voters believe 75 – 17 percent that drilling will create jobs, with strong support among allgroups. But voters believe 53 – 12 percent that hydro-fracking will damage the environment.Republicans say 31 – 27 percent it will cause damage, and all other groups strongly agree thatfracking will hurt the environment. New York State voters support more than 2-1 raising federal income taxes on upper incomefamilies:
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29 percent support raising taxes on people with a household income of more than $250,000 per year;
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40 percent support a tax hike on people with a household income of more than $1 million per year;
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28 percent are opposed to any federal income tax hike.Among voters with household income of more than $250,000 per year, 12 percent supportthe $250,000 tax hike threshold, while 49 percent say set the mark at $1 million and 38 percentoppose any tax hike.All voters reject 53 – 39 percent the argument that increasing taxes on people inhouseholds making more than $250,000 will discourage small businesses from hiring. New York State voters say 55 – 36 percent that the U.S. Congress should not try to repealthe health care law.Backing the Affordable Care Act are Democrats 80 – 12 percent and independent voters 53 – 37 percent, while Republicans favor repeal 73 – 20 percent.From July 17 – 23, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,779 New York State voters with amargin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts publicopinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia andthe nation as a public service and for research.
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