Governor Andrew Cuomo enjoys his highest job performance score since taking office in 2011. 60% of registered voters in New York, up from 38% in March 2019, rate Cuomo’s job performance as either excellent (29%) or good (31%). Cuomo’s previous high rating occurred in October 2012 when 59% of registered voters thought he did an excellent or good job as governor.
Regardless of region of residence, at least a majority of New York voters think highly of Cuomo’s job performance. He rates highest in New York City (67%) followed by the city’s suburbs (61%) and then Upstate (55%).
“New Yorkers are responding in a very positive way to Governor Cuomo’s leadership during this unprecedented time,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “Cuomo has been able to govern in a convincing way both on COVID-19 and the economy.”
When asked, overall, whether they approve or disapprove of how Cuomo is executing his job duties, two in three (66%) New York State residents, including the same proportion of registered voters statewide, say they approve. 29% disapprove.
A partisan divide exists, but even more than one in four Republicans (28%) approve of the job Cuomo is doing as governor. 89% of Democrats and 65% of non-enrolled voters say the same. 70% of Republicans disapprove of the governor’s job performance.
More than seven in ten New York State residents (72%) — including 75% of New York City residents, 70% of residents in the suburbs, and 69% Upstate — approve of how Cuomo is handling the coronavirus pandemic. 24% of New Yorkers disapprove.
Residents statewide also approve of how the governor is handling the economy. 59% of residents statewide have this opinion. 33% disapprove. Residents in New York City (63%) and the city’s suburbs (61%) are more likely to approve of the governor’s handling of the economy than those Upstate (52%).
New Yorkers are less satisfied with how New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is handling the coronavirus pandemic. Statewide residents divide. 42% approve, and 44% disapprove. New York City residents are slightly more positive about the mayor’s approach than those living in other areas of the state. 50% of residents in New York City approve while 44% disapprove. This is far weaker than how Governor Cuomo is seen by New York City residents (75%) on this issue.
New Yorkers are cautiously optimistic about the coronavirus pandemic in the state. By more than two-to-one, 47% of residents statewide think the pandemic will get better rather than get worse (23%). Yet, a notable 25% say the pandemic will stay about the same.
Half of New York State residents (50%) think it is a bad idea to fully reopen public schools with in-school instruction this fall. 40% say it is a good idea, and 10% are unsure. While a majority of residents in New York City (53%) say it is a bad idea, those living in the city’s suburbs (46% good idea to 49% bad idea) and Upstate (41% good idea to 47% bad idea) are more divided. Statewide, parents of school-aged children are also divided. 45% believe it is a good idea to reopen public schools, and 46% think it is a bad one.
Nearly three in four New Yorkers (74%) say they always wear a mask or facial covering when they leave their home due to coronavirus. 78% of New York City residents, 72% of those in the suburbs, and 70% of Upstate residents say they wear a mask when outside of their homes. Democrats (82%) are more likely than Republicans (61%) and non-enrolled voters (71%) to say the same.
The protests fighting racial injustice share the headlines with the coronavirus. Do New Yorkers have a favorable or an unfavorable impression of the Black Lives Matter movement? 62% of adults statewide say they have a favorable opinion of the movement. 28% have an unfavorable view. A sharp partisan divide exists. 82% of Democrats and 61% of non-enrolled voters have a favorable impression of the Black Lives Matter movement. 64% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion. One in five Republicans have a favorable view of Black Lives Matter. Regardless of region, at least a majority of New Yorkers have a favorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement. Though, those in New York City (69%) are more likely than residents in the suburbs of New York City (60%) and Upstate (53%) to have this view.
Half of New York adults (50%) oppose defunding the police in their community to spend more on other local services. 41% support such action. While about six in ten adults in the suburbs (62%) and Upstate (60%) oppose defunding the police, a majority of New York City residents support the proposal (55%).
New Yorkers are optimistic about the direction of the state. In fact, the proportion of registered voters who say the state is moving in the right direction (58%) is at its highest since May 2002. At that time, 65% thought New York was on track. 37% of voters currently say New York is moving in the wrong direction. When previously reported in March 2019, New York voters divided, 47% to 49%.
Complete July 9, 2020 NBC 4 New York/Marist Poll Release of New York State