Maurice Carroll, Director, Quinnipiac University Polling Institute (203) 582-5334 Rubenstein Associates, Inc.

Public Relations Contact: Pat Smith (212) 843FOR RELEASE: AUGUST 10, 2011

CUOMO IS GOOD, COMPETENT, TRYING, NEW YORK STATE VOTERS TELL QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL; GOV IS BETTER LEADER THAN OBAMA, BLOOMBERG
Good, competent, trying, honest and OK top the list when 1,640 New York State voters use one word to describe Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. For example 76 voters say good, followed by 51 who say competent and another 51 who say trying as in attempting. These are actual voter counts, not percentages. Except for arrogant at number nine on the list, liberal, a word that goes either way, at 13 and disappointed at 22, the 30 top words are positive. Way down the list, 6 people say bully and 5 people say sleazy, but the words are overwhelmingly positive throughout. In fact, only one person offered a profanity. New York State voters approve 62 22 percent of the job Gov. Cuomo is doing, compared to 64 19 percent in a June 29 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-peack) University. Voters say 64 12 percent that they like Cuomo as a person and 61 26 percent that they like most of his policies. Cuomo is a better leader than President Barack Obama, voters say 46 38 percent, and is a better leader than New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, voters say 51 35 percent. Democrats say the president is a better leader than Cuomo 63 22 percent, while Cuomo leads 72 12 percent among Republicans and 55 28 percent among independent voters. Bloomberg is a better leader, Republicans say 45 40 percent, but Cuomo leads 59 29 percent among Democrats and 50 36 percent among independent voters. New York City voters salute Cuomo as a better leader 50 42 percent. Were running out of ways to measure how much New York State voters like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. -more-

Quinnipiac University Poll/August 10, 2011 page 2 New Yorkers, not known for mincing words, have mostly good words for their governor, who still is in his first year, Carroll added. Honest, competent, effective. Whens the last time you heard voters use those kinds of words to describe a politician? Cuomos job approval holds high at almost two-thirds, and even Republicans like the Democratic governor. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie are different rather than similar in their approach to cutting costs and balancing their state budgets, voters say 46 17 percent, with 37 percent undecided. New York State voters say 40 29 percent that Cuomo does a better job than Christie cutting costs and balancing his budget. New York Republicans say 49 20 percent that Christie does a better job, while Cuomo leads 58 12 percent among Democrats. Independent voters split with 34 percent for Christie and 32 percent for Cuomo. Its a trifecta! President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie all lose when theyre compared to Gov. Cuomo, Carroll said. Hes a better leader than the president or the mayor, New Yorkers think. And hes been better than New Jerseys Republican governor at cutting costs and balancing budgets. New York State voters disapprove 62 27 percent of the job the state legislature is doing. Voters approve 49 37 percent of their local State Senator, and split 40 43 percent in their approval of their local State Assembly member. All that love for Gov. Cuomo doesnt carry over to the State Legislature as a whole, or to individual legislators, Carroll said. From August 3 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,640 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 62% 22 16 Rep 53% 33 14 Dem 69% 16 15 Sub 65% 22 14 Ind 63% 20 17 Union HsHlds 58% 28 14 Men 63% 24 13 Wom 62% 20 19

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 61% 22 17 62% 22 16

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling his job as Governor? Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 62 22 16 Jun 29 2011 64 19 17 Jun 01 2011 61 18 21 Apr 13 2011 64 16 21 Feb 23 2011 56 15 29

5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 27% 62 11 Rep 22% 67 11 Dem 35% 54 11 Sub 26% 65 9 Ind 22% 66 12 Union HsHlds 25% 66 9 Men 25% 66 9 Wom 28% 59 13

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 23% 65 12 31% 58 11

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? APPROVE...... High Low Apr 04 Sep 01 2007 2010 34 43 23 15 75 9

Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 27 62 11

Jun 29 2011 26 62 12

Jun 01 2011 25 62 12

Apr 13 2011 29 58 13

Feb 23 2011 20 65 15

6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 40% 43 17 Rep 43% 44 13 Dem 46% 34 20 Sub 39% 46 15 Ind 33% 50 17 Union HsHlds 41% 45 15 Men 40% 48 12 Wom 41% 38 21

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 39% 46 16 43% 37 20

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state assembly member is handling their job? APPROVE...... High Low Dec 20 Aug 10 2005 2011 55 22 15 40 43 17

Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 40 43 17

Jun 29 2011 45 38 17

Jun 01 2011 42 39 19

Apr 13 2011 41 40 19

Feb 23 2011 35 42 22

7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 49% 37 14 Rep 47% 41 12 Dem 57% 27 16 Sub 45% 42 13 Ind 40% 45 15 Union HsHlds 48% 41 12 Men 45% 44 11 Wom 52% 31 17

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 47% 40 13 52% 31 17

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way your state senator is handling their job? (* Low also 49% Apr 2011, Feb 2011) APPROVE...... High Low Dec 20 Aug 10 2005 2011* 63 22 15 49 37 14

Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 49 37 14

Jun 29 2011 54 33 13

Jun 01 2011 51 34 16

Apr 13 2011 49 36 15

Feb 23 2011 49 32 18

8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 25% 49 26 Rep 16% 58 26 Dem 36% 36 28 Sub 19% 53 28 Ind 19% 59 22 Union HsHlds 25% 52 23 Men 21% 59 20 Wom 30% 39 31

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 21% 52 27 34% 43 23

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Sheldon Silver is handling his job as State Assembly Speaker? (*Low also 25% Apr 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Dec 24 Aug 10 2008 2011* 38 34 38 25 49 26

Aug 10 2011* Approve Disapprove DK/NA 25 49 26

Jun 29 2011 29 43 28

Sep 01 2010 28 43 29

Jul 28 2010 26 44 30

Jun 23 2010 26 39 34

9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 23% 40 37 Rep 23% 37 40 Dem 24% 37 39 Sub 28% 44 28 Ind 20% 46 34 Union HsHlds 20% 45 35 Men 22% 48 30 Wom 23% 33 44

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 20% 39 42 23% 39 38

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Dean Skelos is handling his job as State Senate Majority Leader? Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 23 40 37 Jun 29 2011 25 35 40

10. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Very satisfied Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA 2% 33 31 33 1 Rep 1% 22 32 44 Dem 4% 43 32 20 1 Sub 1% 34 28 37 Ind 2% 28 30 38 2 Union HsHlds 2% 26 34 37 Men 2% 31 30 36 1 Wom 2% 34 33 30 1

UpStat NYC Very satisfied Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA 2% 28 32 36 1 3% 36 32 26 2

TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York State today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Feb 25 Jun 23 1998 2010 13 60 20 7 1 1 18 33 47 1

Aug 10 2011 Very satisfied Smwht satisfied Smwht dissatisfied Very dissatisfied DK/NA 2 33 31 33 1

Jun 29 2011 4 34 34 27 1

Jun 01 2011 3 34 32 29 1

Apr 13 2011 2 32 34 31 1

Feb 23 2011 2 29 34 33 2

13. Thinking about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo... What one word best describes your impression of Andrew Cuomo? NOTE: Based on registered voters: Figures shows the number of respondents who offered each response: these numbers are not percentages. This table reports only those words that were mentioned at least three times. Good Competent Trying Effective Honest Okay Politician Tough Arrogant Leader Determined Efficient Ambitious Liberal Strong Dedicated Aggressive Satisfactory Decisive Excellent Forceful Confident Disappointed Surprise Fair Hardworking Intelligent Energetic Tenacious Adequate Diligent Dissatisfied Integrity Committed Opportunistic Smart Consistent Progressive Action Alright Bully Capable Courage Focused Go-Getter Phony Business Compromising Driven Dynamic Egotistical Great Moderate Professional Responsible Sleazy 76 51 51 39 38 35 32 24 23 23 22 21 20 20 20 18 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 12 10 10 9 8 8 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Slick Thorough Approve Bold Cautious Change Charismatic Conservative Gutsy Incompetent Liar Nepotism Outstanding Pompous Positive Pragmatic Qualified Realistic Steady Successful Accomplished Active Assertive Bad Bulldog Corrupt Crooked Different Dishonest Doer Experienced Fighter Follow-Through Helpful Hopeful Hypocrite Idiot Indecisive Interesting Knowledgable Lousy Misleading Mixed Motivated Nice Persistent Personable Savvy Selfish Sellout Unhappy DK/NA 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 207

14. Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Tot Like Don't Like DK/NA 64% 12 24 Rep 56% 19 26 Dem 72% 7 21 Sub 60% 13 27 Ind 61% 15 24 Union HsHlds 63% 14 23 Men 64% 13 23 Wom 64% 12 24

UpStat NYC Like Don't Like DK/NA 64% 13 23 67% 11 23

TREND: Regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo's policies, would you say you like or don't like Andrew Cuomo as a person? Aug 10 2011 Like Don't Like DK/NA 64 12 24 Jun 29 2011 64 12 24 Jun 01 2011 61 13 26

15. And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Tot Like Don't Like DK/NA 61% 26 12 Rep 49% 37 15 Dem 69% 21 10 Sub 63% 23 14 Ind 63% 25 12 Union HsHlds 55% 35 10 Men 62% 29 10 Wom 61% 24 15

UpStat NYC Like Don't Like DK/NA 61% 29 10 61% 25 14

TREND: And regardless of how you feel about Andrew Cuomo as a person, would you say you like or don't like most of Andrew Cuomo's policies? Aug 10 2011 Like Don't Like DK/NA 61 26 12 Jun 29 2011 62 24 14 Jun 01 2011 61 23 16

16. Thinking about President Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who do you think is a better leader? Tot Cuomo Obama NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 46% 38 7 9 Rep 72% 12 9 7 Dem 22% 63 4 11 Sub 56% 27 7 10 Ind 55% 28 8 8 Union HsHlds 42% 40 9 9 Men 53% 33 6 8 Wom 39% 43 7 11

UpStat NYC Cuomo Obama NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 53% 32 6 9 31% 52 7 9

17. Thinking about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who do you think is a better leader? Tot Cuomo Bloomberg NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 51% 35 4 9 Rep 40% 45 5 9 Dem 59% 29 3 10 Sub 46% 43 5 7 Ind 50% 36 5 9 Union HsHlds 53% 36 4 8 Men 51% 37 4 8 Wom 51% 33 4 11

UpStat NYC Cuomo Bloomberg NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 56% 25 5 14 50% 42 2 6

18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Tot Approve Disapprove DK/NA 59% 29 11 Rep 52% 35 12 Dem 59% 28 13 Sub 62% 26 11 Ind 64% 27 9 Union HsHlds 56% 35 9 Men 65% 27 8 Wom 54% 31 14

UpStat NYC Approve Disapprove DK/NA 59% 31 10 58% 29 13

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Andrew Cuomo is handling the state budget? Aug 10 2011 Approve Disapprove DK/NA 59 29 11 Jun 01 2011 57 30 13 Apr 13 2011 57 29 14 Feb 23 2011 57 28 16

19. Thinking about New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, would you say that Christie and Cuomo are similar or different in their approach to cutting costs and balancing their state budget, or don't you know? Tot Similar Different Don't Know REFUSED 17% 46 37 1 Rep 19% 42 39 Dem 10% 51 38 1 Sub 24% 49 26 1 Ind 22% 43 34 1 Union HsHlds 19% 52 29 1 Men 22% 51 26 1 Wom 13% 41 46 1

UpStat NYC Similar Different Don't Know REFUSED 14% 35 49 1 15% 55 29 -

20a. (If 'similar' q19) Would you say that they are very similar, or just somewhat similar? SIMILAR Q19........................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very similar Somewhat similar DK/NA 21% 73 5 22% 74 4 17% 70 13 23% 75 2 24% 74 1 17% 72 11

20b. (If 'different' q19) Would you say that they are very different, or just somewhat different? DIFFERENT Q19......................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very different Somewhat different DK/NA 55% 42 2 61% 37 2 58% 39 3 50% 49 1 57% 42 1 53% 43 4

21. Who do you think is doing a better job cutting costs and balancing their state budget Cuomo or Christie? Tot Cuomo Christie NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 40% 29 4 27 Rep 20% 49 5 26 Dem 58% 12 2 28 Sub 38% 34 5 22 Ind 32% 34 5 30 Union HsHlds 45% 28 4 24 Men 38% 37 4 21 Wom 42% 22 3 33

UpStat NYC Cuomo Christie NO DIFF(VOL) DK/NA 31% 31 3 34 50% 24 3 23