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Poll shows New Yorkers don’t like Trump or Biden

Most New Yorkers are dissatisfied with the leading options for president and expressed generally pessimistic outlooks for the state’s future in the latest poll from the Siena College Research Institute.

On Tuesday, the only statewide pollster focused solely on New York said New Yorkers are overwhelmingly concerned with the cost of living with more than 80% of poll respondents saying it’s a major problem, and a strong majority of 57% saying the quality of life in the state has decreased.

“In assessing the severity of problems facing New York, there is, surprisingly, considerable agreement among Democrats, Republicans and independents,” said Steven Greenberg, pollster for the SCRI. “At least 80% of each partisan group thinks the cost of living in the state is a major problem. At least 71% of each say affordable housing is a major problem, as do at least 64% of each about crime and at least 51% of each about the migrant influx.”

People were not so unified about what they wanted the state government, namely the governor and legislature, to tackle. The largest group, 27%, said it wanted the cost of living to be addressed with state action. Crime followed with 19%, migrants at 18% and affordable housing at 17%.

“Those top four issues were also the top four for Republicans, Democrats and independents, though in different orders,” Greenberg said.

More than half, 52% of New York voters surveyed, including a majority of Republicans and independents, said the state is headed in the wrong direction, although about half of Democrats said they felt the state is headed in the right direction.

Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul saw a slight bounce in her favorability rating, with 40% of people giving her a favorable rating to 41% unfavorable. More people approve of the job she’s doing, with 48% approving to 41% disapproving.

“Her job approval rating moved back into positive territory after being dead-even last month,” Greenberg said. “This is the first time we’ve seen her job approval rating move in the positive direction since January. It remains to be seen whether she has reversed the negative trend line, or this is simply a positive blip. Stay tuned.”

A majority of New Yorkers said both President Joseph R. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump are unfit for the office for which they have announced reelection campaigns, but slightly more of those surveyed said Biden is unfit, at 62%, than said Trump is unfit, at 60%. More Democrats say Trump is fit to hold office than Republicans or independents say Biden is, but 55% of voters surveyed said Trump should be disqualified from running because of the criminal indictments against him.

Altogether, more people said they view Biden in a positive light than view Trump positively, at 52% for Biden to 31% for Trump.

The recently announced impeachment inquiry into Biden is seen favorably by a plurality of New York voters, with 72% of Republicans, 47% of independents and 35% of Democrats supporting it.

When asked on specific policy proposals, 68% said they would support a presidential nominee who promotes taxing people earning more than $400,000 a year, 60% said they would support one who wants to ban assault weapons, and 57% said they would support one who wants to federally protect abortion rights.

Voters were more closely divided on Ukraine, with 45% supporting continued aid to Ukraine to defeat Russia entirely, and 43% saying they would like to see an end to “blank check” aid to the country and a peace negotiation.

This poll was conducted between Sept. 10 and 13, among 804 registered New York voters reached by cellphone, landline and an online polling panel. The margin of error for the poll is 4.3% in either direction.

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