Q Poll: Are We Satisfied?

Quinnipiac University today released its first Connecticut survey since last summer. One thing hasn’t changed since that last poll–a majority of voters remain dissatisfied with how things are going in the state.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with conditions here, a number that has remained basically unchanged for almost three years. Just 4% said they were very satisfied, while 37% said they were somewhat satisfied.
Those numbers, and their persistence, clearly reflect Connecticut’s post-recession struggles.
Our economy continues to lag the regional and national recoveries, with the state havng recovered just half the 120,000 jobs lost during the 2008-2011 economic downturn.
Overall dissatisfaction levels hit a high of 71% in September 2011.
Registered Republicans were more dissatisfied (84%) than Democrats (31%), while more than two-thirds of independent voters said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied.
Men (61%) were slightly more pessimistic than women (57%). The 18-29 age group showed more optimism, with 53% registering satisfaction, against the 62% of 30-49 year-olds and 64% of 50-plus voters who said they were dissatisfied.
Voters also continue to express disapproval with the state legislature’s performance, with 50% disapproving, against 35% approving and 15% registering no opinion.
Those numbers are down slightly from the 54% who expressed negative opionions about state lawmakers last June, and September 2011’s 57% disapproval mark.
(The September 2011 poll numbers were released four months after the legislature approved record high tax increases.)
The latest Q Poll also placed Democrat Governor Dannel Malloy in a dead-heat with Tom Foley, one of a number of Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for the governor’s race this fall.