Doing little to reduce the cost of living, stanch the surge of illegal immigrants into New York, or stop the wave of crime sweeping over the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s poll numbers have tanked, with a plurality of voters saying she is out of touch with the citizenry and their quality of life is getting worse.
According to a recently released Siena College Research Institute poll, only 41% of New Yorkers view the governor favorably, down from 45% when residents were polled in January. Her job approval rate also tanked, down from 52% to 48%. A majority of voters say Hochul is hard working, and pluralities think she is honest and is not corrupt, while voters are closely divided on whether she is effective or a strong leader, the research institute concluded.
Nearly half of voters, 49%, identify the cost of living in New York as one of their top two issues for the governor and legislature to address, with 29% calling it the top issue. The recent influx of migrants, crime, and affordable housing are New Yorkers’ next three top issues.
“After recording her best favorability and job approval ratings in nearly a year last month, Hochul saw both fall by net eight points this month, with her favorability rating slipping back into negative territory, where it spent most of 2023,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said. “Whether it was her budget proposals, her efforts on issues of importance to voters, or perhaps the recent attention-grabbing special election in Queens and Nassau, both Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings fell the most with downstate suburban voters and Democrats."
“Another potential factor affecting how voters see Hochul is that a majority, 56%, continue to say that the quality of life in New York is getting worse, compared to only 14% who think it’s getting better, and 25% who say it’s staying about the same,” Greenberg said. “More than two-thirds of Republicans and independents think the quality of life in New York is getting worse, as do a plurality, 42%, of Democrats.”
“The good news for the Governor is that a strong majority of voters – including a majority of independents and a small plurality of Republicans – think she is hard-working, and 49% say she is not corrupt – although Republicans are closely divided,” Greenberg said. “A plurality of all voters and a majority of Democrats also think Hochul is honest. While Democrats think she is an effective and strong leader, overall voters are closely divided.” Greenberg added: “A plurality of voters, including a majority of Republicans and a plurality of independents, think Hochul is out of touch with average New Yorkers. Even Democrats are closely divided.”
Running in an overwhelmingly Democrat Blue State, Hochul won a close election over Republican Lee Zeldin in 2022. Her policies have shifted dramatically to the left from when she served in Congress representing her Buffalo community.
The poll was conducted February 12-14 among 806 registered voters. The Siena College Research Institute, directed by Donald Levy, Ph.D., conducts political, economic, social, and cultural research primarily in New York. A independent, non-partisan research institute, they subscribe to the American Association of Public Opinion Research Code of Professional Ethics and Practices. For more information, call Steve Greenberg at (518) 469-9858. For survey crosstabs: www.Siena.edu/SCRI/SNY.