URic 4ar-1LcbWr/EAGLETON POLL

FOR RELEASt SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 1990 CONTACT: BOB CARTER ORRELEASE: SL/EP 28-1 (EP 78-1) JANICE BALLOU

RElEASE INFORMATION

A story based on the survey findings presented in this release and background memo willappear in Sunday’s Star-Ledger. Other newspapers may also use this information in theirSunday editions. Electronic media may release after 5:00 p.m. Saturday, March 31. We askusers to properly attribute this copyrighted information to the “Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll.

THE PUBLIC’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS--HOW’S FLORIO DOING?;

BRADLEY AND BUSH GET POSITWE MARKS

After only his first two months in office more than 4-in-lO New Jerseyans say they have a

favorable impression of the state’s new Governor Jim FIorio, compared to about 1-in-4 who

say they have an unfavorable impression, according to the latest Star-Ledger/Bagleton Poll.

However, a significant number of residents, 30 percent, say they have not yet formed a firm

fl opinion of Governor Florio. When asked to evaluate his performance as Governor, 42

percent say he is doing an excellent” or “good” job, another 34 percent say he’s doing “only

fair,” and 14 percent rate him as doing a “poor” job.

President Bush fares much better than the Governor at the present time, with 60 percent

of New Jerseyans giving him a positive overall job performance rating of “excellent” or “good.’

The President receives his highest ratings in the areas of foreign affairs and dealing with the

Soviet Union. New Jerseyans, however, are much less impressed with his handling of the

economy and the nation’s social problems, with only about l-in-3 giving positive assessments

of his performance in these areas.

The current survey, conducted by telephone between March 22 and 26 with 800 New

Jersey adults, also shows that two-thirds of residents statewide give Senator Bill Bradley a

-moreAflEt%TION RADIO STATIONS:Audio is available after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 1990 from (WI) 932-3605 (Rutgers Feature Phone).

THE STATE UNvEPSW CF NEW JER

R.1.JTt5ER..S Eagleton Institute of Politics g New Brunswick • New Jersey 08901 • 201 / 828-2210

EP78-1 (SL/EP2B-1) Page 2

positive job rating, while just under one-half of New Jerseyans feel the same about Senator

Frank Lautenberg.

After his first two months in office, Governor Florio receives positive marks from 42

percent of New Jerseyans, with 8 percent saying he is doing an ‘excellent’ job and 34 percent

rating his performance as “good.” Another 34 percent say Floriois doing “only fair,” while 14

percent say he is doing a “poor” job. The remaining 10 percent offer no opinion. Florio’s

overall job performance rating is very similar to that of his predecessor Tom Kean during

Kean’s first year in office in 1982. At the present time, Florio is seen in a clearly partisan

light by New Jerseyans, with 53 percent of Democrats giving him positive ratings, compared to

35 and 38 percent respectively among Independents and Republicans.

When asked to give their general impression of Governor Florio, 16 percent statewide say

they have a “very favorable” impression, 26 percent say “somewhat favorable,” 12 percent say

“somewhat unfavorable,” and 15 percent say the have a “very unfavorable” impression of the cGovernor. A plurality of New Jerseyans, 30 percent, say they have yet to form a firm opinion

about Florio.

Bob Carter, Associate Director of the Poll, commented, “Florio is probably still in a

honeymoon period with the public, and their impressions and opinions of him are still rather

soft, even though he has been very active and visible in his first two months. And, even

though he has been the bearer of some very unpopular news regarding the state budget and

possible tax increases, the public in New Jersey is certainly not prepared at this point to shoot

the messenger.”

Looking to Washington, D.C., President Bush receives an overall job performance rating

of “excellent” from 13 percent of New Jerseyans, while another 47 percent say he is doing a

“good” job. Twenty-nine percent of residents say Bush is doing “only fair,” and 8 percent say

he is doing a “poor” job. New Jerseyans are most pleased with his handling of relations with Cthe Soviet Union, where 74 percent say he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, his handling

-maje

EP78-1 (SL/EP28-1) Page 3

of the changes in Eastern Europe (61% “excellent” or “good”), and his handling of the nation’s

foreign affairs (59% “excellent” or ‘good”). New Jerseyans are much less satisfied with Bush’s

handling of the nation’s economy and his performance in dealing with the country’s social

problems, with only 35 and 32 percent respectively giving him positive marks of “excellent” or

“good” in these two areas.

Carter added, “These results are generally in line with the patterns we see in the

nationwide polls regarding the President. Overall, the public is satisfied with Bush, but he has

obvious strengths in the foreign affairs arena, and clear vulnerabilities on the domestic front.”

Most New Jerseyans do not think very highly of Vice-President Quayle. Twenty-seven

percent statewide say he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, while 35 percent rate him as

“only fair” and another 20 percent say he is doing a “poor” job. The remaining 17 percent

offer no opinion of the Vice-President.

Back in the Garden State, Senator Bill Bradley continues to be very popular with New

Jerseyans as he prepares for his fall re-election campaign. Sixty-seven percent of residents

statewide say he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, while 18 percent rate him as “only fair,”

and only 3 percent say “poor.” Thirteen percent have no firm opinion of Bradley. Bradley’s

popularity with New Jerseyans is consistent across the political spectrum, with RepubLicans

just as likely as Democrats to give him a positive job performance rating.

New Jersey’s junior U.S. Senator, Frank Lautenberg, lags behind Bradley in the eyes of

state residents, but still receives substantially more positive than negative ratings. Forty-seven

percent of New Jerseyans say lautenberg is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, up from 36

percent two years ago. Twenty-seven percent in the current survey say Lautenberg is doing

“only fair,” while only 4 percent rate him as doing a “poor” job. Twenty-two percent have no

opinion of Lautenberg.

-30-

Copyright, April 1, 1990, The Eagleton Institute and Newark Star-Ledger.

URic %tar-TLSbcr/EAGLETON POLL

BACKGROUND MEMO--RELEASE SL/EP28-1 (EP78-l’h SUNDAY. APRIL 1. 1990

The latest Star-Leder/Ea&eton Poll was conducted beeen March 22 and 26, 1990, when a random sample of800 New Jerseyans, 18 years and older, was interviewed by telephone. The sampling error associated with thissize sample is ±3.5 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval. Sampling error does not take into account theother possible sources of error inherent in any public opinion study. The questions and figures referred to inthis release are as follows:

1’How would you rate the job George Bush is doing as President--excellent, good, only fair or poor?’

Excellent Good Only Fair f Don’t Know Total

BUS H

March, 1990 13% 47% 29% 8% 3% 100% (800)

Puny ID, JOQO--Democrat 7 39 36 14 4 100 (265)--Independent 10 51 30 5 3 99 (273)--Republican 24 54 16 3 2 99 (239)

June, 1989 9 44 31 6 10 100 (800)

REAGAN

March, 1982 7 29 35 27 3 100 (604) (JMay, 1981 21 44 22 8 6 101 (503)

CARTER

April, 1978 5 36 40 18 1 101 (1,207)

‘How would you rate his handling of the nation’s foreign affairs--excellent, good, only fair or poor?”

Excellent Good Only Fair Poor Don’t Know TotalBUSH

March, 1990 16% 43% 31% 7% 4% 101% (8(14))

Puny ID, 1990--Democrat 7 36 44 9 4 100 (265)--Independent 16 46 27 9 2 100 (273)--Republican 28 49 16 2 5 100 (239)

June, 1989 10 39 36 7 9 101 (800)

REAGAN

May, 1985 9 32 39 17 4 101 (500)March 1982 7 24 39 22 8 100 (604)

CTHE STAlE UNTVERSflY OF NEW JERSEY

ItLJ1-’cEI?..S Eogleton Institute of Politics New Brunswick • New Jersey 08901 • 201 828-2210

EP7S-1 (SL/EP2S-1) - 2 -

And how would you rate Bush’s handling of the problems of the economy?

Excellent Good Only Fair Poor Don’t KnowBUSH

March, 1990 3% 32% 45% 17% 3% 100% (800)

Patti’ ID. 1990--Democrat 2 26 46 23 3 100 (265)--Independent 4 24 50 20 2 100 (273)--Republican 5 49 38 5 3 100 (239)

June, 1989 4 30 41 16 9 100 (800)

REAGAN

May, 1985 13 36 28 21 2 100 (500)March, 1982 6 24 37 30 3 100 (604)

“His handling of relations with the Soviet Union?”

Excellent Good Only Fair Poor Don’t Know Total

BUSH

March, 1990 20% 54% 19% 4% 4% 101% (800)

Party ID. 1990--Democrat 14 48 28 6 5 101 (265)--Independent 17 62 14 3 4 100 (273)--Republican 31 52 10 3 4 100 (239)

June, 1989 11 52 24 4 8 99 (800)

REAGAN

May, 1985 10 30 31 23 6 100 (500)

“How would you rate Bush’s handling of all the changes taking place in Eastern Europe?”

Excellent Good Only Fair EQ Don’t Know Total Q

March, 1990 15% 46% 28% 6% 5% 100% (800)

Patti’ ID, 1990--Deomocrat 11 39 36 8 6 100 (265)--Independent 17 48 25 5 5 100 (273)--Republican 18 53 20 4 5 100 (239)

‘And his handling of the nation’s social problems?”

Only Don’tExcellent Good Fair Poor Know Total

March, 1990 3% 29% 43% 22% 3% 100% (800)

Party ID, 1990--Democrat 1 29 38 29 3 100 (265)--Independent 4 25 48 22 1 100 (273)--Republican 6 35 43 11 5 100 (239)

June, 1989 3 27 — 43 17 10 100 (800)

EP78-1 (SL/EP28-1) - 3 -

“How would you rate the job Dan Quayle is doing as Vice President--excellent, good, only fair or poor? -

Only Don’tExcellent Good Fair Poor Know Total

March, 1990 3% 24% 35% 20% 17% 99% (800)

Party ID, 1990--Democrat 2 17 35 26 19 99 (265)--Independent 3 22 36 22 17 100 (273)--Republican 5 35 36 9 15 100 (239)

‘Is your general impression of Governor Jim Florio favorable or unfavorable, or don’t you have an opinion abouthim? (Is that very (favorable/unfavorable) or somewhat (favorable/unfavorable)?’

Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Don’tFavorable Favorable Unfavorable Unfavorable Know TotaL

FLORTO

March, 1990 16% 26% 12% 15% 30% 99% (800)

PariviD, 1990--Democrat 27 30 7 9 27 100 (265)--Independent 11 26 13 16 34 100 (273)--Republican 10 23 18 19 29 99 (239)

KEAN

March, 1989 25 36 7 5 25 98 (800)

“How would you rate the job Jim Florio is doing as Governor--excellent, good, only fair, or poor?’

Only Don’tExcellent Good air Poor Know Total

FLORTO

March, 1990 8% 34% 34% 14% 10% 100% (S00)

Party ID, 1990--Democrat 12 41 29 9 9 100 (265)--Independent S 30 38 14 13 100 (273)--Republican 6 32 34 20 8 100 (239)

KEAN

September, 1989 13 50 22 6 4 101 (1,000)June, 1989 16 43 22 13 5 99 (800)September, 1982 4 35 41 5 15 100 (503)

BYRNE

April, 1974 9 43 18 2 28 100 (1,222)February, 1974 4 22 15 4 56 101 (1,226)

a EP78-1 (SL/EP28-1)- 4 -

How would you rate the job the New Jersey State Legislature is doing--excellent, good, only fair or poor?

Only Do&tExcellent Good Oir £ Know Total

March, 1990 2% 31% 45% 13% 9% 100% (S00)

March, 1989 2 34 41 12 10 99 (800)October, 1987 3 41 38 4 14 100 (1,000)February, 1987 4 43 30 7 15 99 (799)October, 1986 3 39 34 6 18 100 (800)July,1986 4 40 35 5 16 100 (800)February, 1986 4 43 32 7 15 101 (600)August, 1985 5 40 37 6 13 101 (800)April-May, 1985 2 41 37 6 14 100 (500)April, 1984 3 28 45 8 16 100 (805)

“How would you rate the job Senator Bill Bradley is doing--excellent, good, only fair or poor?’

Only Don’tExcellent Good Fair Poor Know Total

March, 1990 22% 45% 18% 3% 13% 101% (800)

Pam, ID, 1990--Democrat 28 43 15 2 12 100 (265)--Independent 18 44 20 2 16 100 (273)--Republican 19 51 15 5 11 101 (239)

February, 1988 19 45 15 2 192 100 (800)

Includes 6 percent who had not heard of Bradley.- Includes 4 percent who had not heard of Bradley.

“How would you rate the job Senator Frank Lautenberg is doing--excellent, good, only fair or poor?”

Only Don’tExcellent Good Fair Poor Know Total

March, 1990 11% 36% 27% 4% 22% 100% (800)

Party ID. 1990--Democrat 17 39 24 2 18 100 (265)--Independent 11 35 29 3 22 100 (273)--Republican 6 37 28 7 22 100 (239)

February, 1988 6 30 18 3 42 99 (800)

Includes 12 percent who had not heard of Lautenberg.‘ Includes 25 percent who had not heard of Lautenberg.

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