(NEXSTAR) – A new Nexstar New York/Emerson College poll looks at how New Yorkers feel about Governor Andrew Cuomo amid several controversies. Gov. Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment by two previous staffers. A third woman has said that Cuomo touched her inappropriately and asked to kiss her while holding her face at a wedding they both attended.
He has also come under fire for his administration’s handling of nursing home death reporting.
Cuomo Approval Rating:
Cuomo’s approval rating has tanked among voters in New York, with about 48% disapproving of the governor. While 38% approve of the job he is doing.
As a comparison, 52% of people approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing. While 33% of people disapprove of President Joe Biden.
Cuomo Reelection:
The majority of New Yorkers (64%) believe Cuomo should not serve a fourth term. Democrats are split on the issue, 52% say he should serve while 48% say it is time for someone new. More than a third of voters (36%) say they will re-elect Andrew Cuomo.
Is New York on track?
Voters are evenly split on whether the state is headed in the right direction, 50% say yes while 50% say no.
Sexual harassment allegations:
An overwhelming majority (90%) of New Yorkers know something about the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo. Broken out further, 50% of people say they know a lot, 39% know a little and 11% know nothing at all.
Of those who were aware of the allegations, 32% say they are at least somewhat satisfied with Cuomo’s response to the controversy so far, while 42% are unsatisfied.
- Very Satisfied 16.9%
- Somewhat Satisfied 15.3%
- Unsure/Neutral 26.2%
- Somewhat Dissatisfied 12.7%
- Very Dissatisfied 28.9%
When asked if they the allegations against Cuomo are true 44% were unsure at the time the poll was conducted, 38% believe he is guilty and 18% believe he is not guilty.
When asked if the governor should resign based because of the allegations, 37% of voters believe he should, 34% say he shouldn’t and 29% are unsure.
Nursing Homes:
When asking voters in New York about the governor’s handling of reporting nursing home deaths at the beginning of the pandemic, the majority of people (59%) were somewhat or very dissatisfied with the governor’s response to the matter.
- Very Satisfied 10%
- Somewhat Satisfied 17.5%
- Unsure/Neutral 13.9%
- Somewhat Dissatisfied 14.9%
- Very Dissatisfied 43.7%
When asked if the governor should resign as a result, 45% of voters believe he should., 36% say he shouldn’t and 18% are unsure.
Looking Forward:
Voters were also asked if the controversies will affect Cuomo’s ability to govern for the rest of his term. Among voters, 39% of people think it will seriously affect his ability to lead, 31% don’t think it will affect his ability to lead, 14% never thought he had the ability and 16% are unsure.
Issues in the State:
Voters were asked to rank the issues affecting the state in order of importance. Most people ranked availability and plan for COVID-19 vaccines as the most important current issue. The other issues were; complete the investigation into nursing home deaths and complete the investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
Is Cuomo ethical?
Half of respondents believe Cuomo is ethical compared to other politicians. While 35% think he is less ethical and 15% think he is more ethical.
About the poll:
The Nexstar New York/Emerson College poll was conducted March 1-2, 2021.
The sample consisted of New York registered voters, n=700, with a Credibility Interval (CI)
similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE) of +/- 3.6 percentage points. The data sets were
weighted by gender, age, education, race, party affiliation, and region. It is important to
remember that subsets based on gender, age, party breakdown, ethnicity, and region carry with
them higher margins of error, as the sample size is reduced. Data was collected using an
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system of landlines, SMS-to-web, and an online panel
provided by Prime Panels.
