Q Poll: Malloy's Ratings Hit Rock Bottom In Connecticut

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — The approval ratings for Gov. Dannel Malloy have sunk to their lowest levels ever among Connecticut voters, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday.

Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, a Republican, march together at the start of a previous Danbury Memorial Day parade.
Photo Credit: *Claire Tensa, File*

Emily Fedorko's parents, Joe and Pam, at right look on as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signs Emily's Law. Emily, pictured at right, died in a water tubing accident in August 2014 off Greenwich Point.
Photo Credit: *Frank MacEachern, File*

Daily Voice

10/14/2015 9:30 a.m.

Connecticut voters disapprove 58 percent vs 32 percent of the job Malloy is doing, the lowest score for any governor in the nine states surveyed this year by the independent Quinnipiac University Poll.

"Gov. Dannel Malloy's job approval rating has plummeted to 32 percent, close to the historic 24 percent low hit by disgraced former Gov. John Rowland in January 2004, and Gov. Malloy is not in the middle of a corruption scandal," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.

"Malloy is getting hammered on the critical pocketbook issues, taxes, the budget and the economy and jobs. "

Malloy gets 4-1 negative scores for the way he is handling taxes and the state budget. The results released Wednesday are down from a negative 43 percent vs. 47 percent approval rating in a March 11 survey by the Q Poll.

The governor gets a lackluster 58 percent vs 33 percent approval from Democrats, while the disapproval is 86 percent vs. 8 percent among Republicans and 61 percent vs. 29 percent among independent voters.

Men disapprove 62 percent vs. 31 percent, and women disapprove 55 percent vs. 33 percent.

The governor gets negative grades on three character ratings:

43 percent vs. 49 percent that he has strong leadership qualities;
40 percent vs. 49 percent that he is honest and trustworthy; and
37 percent vs. 55 percent that he cares about voters' needs and problems.

Only 36 percent of voters are satisfied with the way things are going in the state, one of the lowest scores since Quinnipiac University started asking this question in 1997.

In an open-ended question, 33 percent of voters list the economy/jobs as the most important problem facing Connecticut, while 28 percent list taxes and 11 percent list the state budget.

Connecticut voters give the governor negative grades for his handling of key issues:

19 percent vs. 72 percent for the budget;
19 percent vs. 76 percent for taxes;
24 percent vs. 70 percent for the economy and jobs;
41 percent vs. 43 percent for transportation; and
38 percent vs. 45 percent for crime.

A total of 75 percent of voters say Connecticut's economy is "not so good" or "poor," and only 10 percent say it is getting better. Another 41 percent say it is getting worse and 48 percent say it is the same. Only 5 percent of voters say Malloy's economic policies have helped them personally, while 40 percent say these policies have hurt them and 52 percent say they have not made a difference.

From Oct. 7 to 11, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,735 registered voters with a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.

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