Maurice Carroll, Director,

Quinnipiac University Polling

Institute
(203) 582-5334

Rubenstein Associates, Inc.

Public Relations
Contact: Pat Smith
FOR RELEASE: (212)
APRIL 14,843-
2011

PROPERTY TAX CAP IS TOP PRIORITY FOR NEW YORK VOTERS,

QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS;
STRONG SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, REDISTRICTING REFORM
New York State voters support a proposed property tax cap 79 – 17 percent and in another
question 46 percent say this should be the top priority for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State
Legislature, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
The independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds strong support for
several other issues pending in Albany:
• 56 – 38 percent for a law allowing same-sex couples to marry;
• 51 percent for a commission independent of the State Legislature to draw district lines for
members of Congress and the legislature, with 29 percent supporting a commission with
some input from the legislature and 12 percent for allowing the legislature to continue
drawing district lines;
• 55 – 40 percent for requiring legislators who practice law to disclose their clients.
But voters oppose 52 – 41 percent public financing for state elections.
Asked which of these items should be the top priority:
• 46 percent want the property tax cap;
• 29 percent want ethics reform;
• 7 percent want redistricting reform;
• 6 percent want same-sex marriage.
“New Yorkers think property tax relief should be the Number One legislative priority
now that the state budget is out of the way,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac
University Polling Institute.
“Next on the list is governmental ethics. Same-sex marriage? Political re-districting?
Voters support these ideas, but they want that tax cap first.
“An independent commission should draw the legislative and congressional district lines,
most voters think, but a fairly good number would have some legislative input in the process.”
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Quinnipiac University Poll/April 14, 2011 – page 2
“Ethics questions get complicated. Most New Yorkers think lawyer-legislators should
list their clients. A small majority oppose public financing of campaigns,” Carroll added.
Support for same-sex marriage is 70 – 25 percent among Democrats and 60 – 35 percent
among independent voters, with Republicans opposed 61 – 34 percent. Men support the measure
52 – 43 percent and women support it 61 – 34 percent.
New York State voters say 82 – 14 percent that teacher layoffs should be based on
performance rather than seniority, matching the 85 – 12 percent finding in a February 24
Quinnipiac University poll. Even voters in union households support performance-based layoffs
67 – 28 percent.
By a 49 – 25 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of public school teachers,
but they say 49 – 42 percent that teacher unions play a negative rather than a positive role in
improving the state’s education system.
Public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be rewarded with merit pay,
voters say 67 – 30 percent. But firing bad teachers should be easier, voters say 64 – 31 percent.
“New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s call to end LIFO, the last-in-first-out
system for deciding how teachers should be laid off, wins solid approval. New Yorkers like the
people who teach their kids, not their unions,” Carroll said.
New York State voters support rent regulation 59 – 33 percent. Support is 69 – 24
percent among Democrats and 59 – 33 percent among independent voters, while Republicans
split 46 – 47 percent.
Support for rent regulation is 68 – 26 percent among New York City voters, 57 – 35
percent among suburban voters and 52 – 37 percent among upstate voters.
Pensions for local government employees should be negotiated by local officials rather
than set by the State Legislature, voters say 50 – 38 percent, including 53 – 38 percent in union
households.
From April 5 – 11, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,704 registered voters with a margin
of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the
nation 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.
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15. Some people have said that New York State government is dysfunctional. Do you agree
or disagree?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Agree 72% 74% 67% 75% 75% 69%

Disagree 23 23 25 20 21 25
DK/NA 5 3 7 5 4 6

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Agree 76% 66% 72% 80%

Disagree 19 29 22 17
DK/NA 5 5 6 3

TREND: Some people have said that New York state government is dysfunctional. Do you
agree or disagree?

Apr 14 Jul 28 Jun 23 Dec 16 Aug 18 Jun 22 Apr 7

2011 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009

Agree 72 75 83 76 77 78 71
Disagree 23 20 14 19 19 18 23
DK/NA 5 4 3 5 3 4 6

16. Who do you think is most to blame - Governor Cuomo, the Republicans in the state
legislature, the Democrats in the state legislature?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Cuomo 6% 7% 7% 3% 4% 7%
Reps/State leg 32 5 57 27 31 33
Dems/State leg 29 61 6 32 33 24
DK/NA 33 26 30 38 31 35

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Cuomo 6% 5% 6% 6%
Reps/State leg 24 47 28 37
Dems/State leg 31 21 37 24
DK/NA 39 27 30 33

17. Should there be a cap on how much property taxes can be raised annually in New York
State or not?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Yes 79% 84% 73% 83% 77% 81%

No 17 14 22 14 20 14
DK/NA 4 3 5 3 3 5

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Yes 83% 74% 81% 77%

No 14 20 16 19
DK/NA 3 6 3 4

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TREND: Should there be a cap on how much property taxes can be raised annually in New
York State or not?

Apr 14 Feb 23 Jan 26

2011 2011 2011

Yes 79 80 82
No 17 15 13
DK/NA 4 6 5

18. Do you think state legislators who are practicing lawyers should be required to
publicly disclose their clients or not?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Yes 55% 50% 54% 62% 62% 48%

No 40 46 41 33 34 45
DK/NA 6 5 5 5 4 7

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Yes 50% 56% 61% 58%

No 43 39 36 37
DK/NA 7 5 3 5

TREND: Do you think state legislators who are practicing lawyers should be required to
publicly disclose their clients or not?

Apr 14 Jan 27
2011 2011

Yes 55 48
No 40 42
DK/NA 6 9

19. Do you support or oppose public financing of campaigns for governor, other statewide
offices and the state legislature?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Support 41% 27% 50% 38% 45% 37%

Oppose 52 66 40 58 49 55
DK/NA 7 7 9 5 7 8

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Support 37% 46% 39% 38%

Oppose 58 44 53 52
DK/NA 5 10 7 9

TREND: Do you support or oppose public financing of campaigns for governor, other
statewide offices and the state legislature?

Apr 14 Jan 27
2011 2011

Support 41 40
Oppose 52 51
DK/NA 7 9

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20. Who do you think should draw the district lines by which members of the state
legislature and Congress are elected - the state legislature, a commission that has no
connection to the state legislature, or an independent commission with some legislative
input?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

State legislature 12% 9% 16% 7% 13% 12%

Commission/No
connection 51 57 44 60 55 48
Commission/Some
leg input 29 29 31 27 27 32
DK/NA 7 6 8 6 6 9

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

State legislature 10% 16% 9% 9%

Commission/No
connection 58 46 47 61
Commission/Some
leg input 24 31 36 24
DK/NA 8 7 7 6

21. Would you support or oppose a law that would allow same-sex couples to get married?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Support 56% 34% 70% 60% 52% 61%

Oppose 38 61 25 35 43 34
DK/NA 5 5 5 5 6 5

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Support 53% 59% 58% 65%

Oppose 41 36 36 30
DK/NA 6 4 6 5

TREND: Would you support or oppose a law that would allow same-sex couples to get
married?

Apr 14 Feb 24 Jan 27 Dec 16 Jun 23 May 14 Apr 15

2011 2011 2011 2009 2009 2009 2004

Support 56 54 56 47 51 46 37
Oppose 38 39 37 46 41 46 55
DK/NA 5 7 7 7 8 8 8

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22. Now that the budget is passed, which of the following issues do you think should be
the top priority for the governor and legislature? – Same-sex marriage, property tax cap,
ethics reform, or redistricting?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Same sex marriage 6% 4% 9% 6% 6% 7%

Property tax cap 46 60 37 46 45 47
Ethics reform 29 22 31 33 33 25
Redistricting 7 4 10 5 6 8
SOMETHING ELSE(VOL) 7 10 7 7 6 8
DK/NA 4 1 5 3 4 4

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Same sex marriage 6% 9% 4% 3%

Property tax cap 47 37 60 48
Ethics reform 29 33 23 32
Redistricting 8 8 5 7
SOMETHING ELSE(VOL) 7 8 6 9
DK/NA 3 6 2 2

23. Is your opinion of New York State's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable,
or haven't you heard enough about them?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Favorable 49% 41% 55% 51% 47% 50%

Unfavorable 25 37 17 27 26 25
Hvn't hrd enough 22 20 24 20 24 21
REFUSED 3 3 4 2 2 4

Union HvKidsIn
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds PubSch

Favorable 47% 47% 54% 63% 60%

Unfavorable 27 24 25 21 23
Hvn't hrd enough 22 24 18 14 15
REFUSED 3 4 2 2 2

TREND: Is your opinion of New York State's public school teachers favorable, unfavorable,
or haven't you heard enough about them?

Apr 14 Feb 24
2011 2011

Favorable 49 50%
Unfavorable 25 22
Hvn't hrd enough 22 25
REFUSED 3 3

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24. Generally speaking, do you believe the teachers' unions are playing a positive
or a negative role in improving New York State's educational system?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Positive 42% 29% 55% 37% 39% 45%

Negative 49 65 34 54 52 46
DK/NA 9 6 10 9 9 9

Union HvKidsIn
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds PubSch

Positive 39% 48% 38% 54% 43%

Negative 51 42 57 40 49
DK/NA 10 11 5 6 7

TREND: Generally speaking, do you believe the teachers' unions are playing a positive
or a negative role in improving New York State's educational system?

Apr 14 Feb 24 Apr 15

2011 2011 2004

Positive 42 39 48
Negative 49 51 35
DK/NA 9 10 17

25. Some people say that public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be
rewarded with additional pay - so called merit pay. Do you think this is a good idea
or a bad idea?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Good idea 67% 66% 69% 67% 68% 66%

Bad idea 30 32 28 30 28 31
DK/NA 3 2 3 4 4 3

Union HvKidsIn
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds PubSch

Good idea 63% 74% 61% 54% 65%

Bad idea 33 22 37 43 33
DK/NA 4 4 2 3 2

TREND: Some people say that public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be
rewarded with additional pay - so called merit pay. Do you think this is a good idea or a
bad idea?

Apr 14 Feb 24
2011 2011

Good idea 67 64
Bad idea 30 33
DK/NA 3 3

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26. Some people have suggested that firing public school teachers should be made easier.
Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Good idea 64% 73% 52% 72% 67% 61%

Bad idea 31 23 42 23 29 32
DK/NA 5 4 6 4 4 6

Union HvKidsIn
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds PubSch

Good idea 65% 59% 68% 59% 68%

Bad idea 28 36 28 37 29
DK/NA 6 5 4 4 4

TREND: Some people have suggested that firing public school teachers should be made
easier. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?

Apr 14 Feb 24
2011 2011

Good idea 64 62
Bad idea 31 33
DK/NA 5 5

27. If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should
lay off teachers based on their performance, or based on seniority?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Seniority 14% 13% 16% 12% 15% 13%

Performance 82 85 77 85 81 83
DK/NA 4 2 6 3 5 4

Union HvKidsIn
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds PubSch

Seniority 13% 14% 14% 28% 15%

Performance 82 82 82 67 83
DK/NA 5 4 4 5 2

TREND: If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should
lay off teachers based on their performance or based on seniority?

Apr 14 Feb 24
2011 2011

Seniority 14 12
Performance 82 85
DK/NA 4 4

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28. Do you support or oppose rent regulation, which controls the amount of rent a
landlord can charge a tenant?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Support 59% 46% 69% 59% 56% 62%

Oppose 33 47 24 33 36 30
DK/NA 8 7 7 8 8 8

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Support 52% 68% 57% 63%

Oppose 37 26 35 31
DK/NA 11 6 8 6

29. As you may know, the state government sometimes requires local governments to adopt
programs and regulations, known as state mandates. Do you think there are too many state
mandates on local governments, too few state mandates on local governments, or about the
right amount?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Too many 47% 63% 33% 52% 56% 39%

Too few 8 5 11 6 6 10
About right 27 22 33 25 23 30
DK/NA 18 9 23 17 15 21

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Too many 56% 37% 47% 49%

Too few 7 12 5 7
About right 23 29 31 27
DK/NA 15 23 17 17

30. Do you think local government officials should be allowed to negotiate pensions with
local public employees or should this be left to state legislators?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom

Local officials 50% 52% 40% 58% 52% 47%

State legislators 38 36 45 31 39 38
DK/NA 12 11 14 10 9 15

Union
UpStat NYC Sub HsHlds

Local officials 53% 43% 54% 53%

State legislators 36 43 36 38
DK/NA 11 15 10 9

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