State and National Public Survey, July 1994

January 1, 1994

July 10-14, 1994
General Election N=602 Likely Voters
Margin of Error: +/- 4 %
Democratic Primary N = 341 Likely Voters
Margin of Error: +/- 5 %

If the election for U.S. Senate were being held right now and the candidates were Republican John Chafee, Democrat Linda Kushner, and Independent Gregory Raposa, would you vote for: 56% Chafee, 14% Kushner, 2% Raposa, 28% don't know or no answer

(First District Likely Voters Only) If the election for U.S. House were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Kevin Vigilante and Democrat Patrick Kennedy, would you vote for: 27% Vigilante, 49% Kennedy, 24% don't know or no answer

(Second District Likely Voters Only) If the election for U.S. House were being held right now and the candidates were Republican John Elliot and Democrat Jack Reed, would you vote for: 16% Elliot, 65% Reed, 19% don't know or no answer

If the election for governor were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Lincoln Almond, Democrat Bruce Sundlun, Cool Moose party Robert Healey, Jr., Independent John Patrick Devine, Liberal party Jack Potter, Independent James Donahue, Green party Graham Schwass, and Independent Greenback party Love 22, would you vote for: 44% Almond, 14% Sundlun, 3% Healey, 1% Devine, 0% Potter, 0% Donahue, 0% Schwass, 0% Love 22, 38% don't know or no answer

If the election for governor were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Ron Machtley, Democrat Bruce Sundlun, Cool Moose party Robert Healey, Jr., Independent John Patrick Devine, Liberal party Jack Potter, Independent James Donahue, Green party Graham Schwass, and Independent Greenback party Love 22, would you vote for: 48% Machtley, 15% Sundlun, 3% Healey, 1% Devine, 0% Potter, 0% Donahue, 0% Schwass, 0% Love 22, 33% don't know or no answer

If the election for governor were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Lincoln Almond, Democrat Myrth York, Cool Moose party Robert Healey, Jr., Independent John Patrick Devine, Liberal party Jack Potter, Independent James Donahue, Green party Graham Schwass, and Independent Greenback party Love 22, would you vote for: 45% Almond, 11% York, 3% Healey, 2% Devine, 0% Potter, 0% Donahue, 0% Schwass, 0% Love 22, 39% don't know or no answer

If the election for governor were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Ron Machtley, Democrat Myrth York, Cool Moose party Robert Healey, Jr., Independent John Patrick Devine, Liberal party Jack Potter, Independent James Donahue, Green party Graham Schwass, and Independent Greenback party Love 22, would you vote for: 46% Machtley, 12% York, 3% Healey, 2% Devine, 0% Potter, 0% Donahue, 0% Schwass, 0% Love 22, 37% don't know or no answer

If the election for attorney general were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Jeff Pine, Democrat Sara Quinn, Independent Anthony Almonte, and Independent James Donahue, would you vote for: 65% Pine, 13% Quinn, 2% Almonte, 3% Donahue, 17% don't know or no answer

If the election for secretary of state were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Barbara Leonard, Democrat Ray Rickman, and Liberal party Jack Potter, would you vote for: 47% Leonard, 16% Rickman, 4% Potter, 33% don't know or no answer

If the election for general treasurer were being held right now and the candidates were Republican Nancy Mayer, Democrat Richard James, and Independent Greenback party Love 22, would you vote for: 59% Mayer, 10% James, 3% Love 22, 28% don't know or no answer

(Likely Democratic primary voters only) If the primary for governor were being held right now and the Democratic candidates were Bruce Sundlun, Myrth York, Louise Durfee, John Hamilton, and Donald Gill, would you vote for: 27% Sundlun, 21% York, 6% Durfee, 1% Hamilton, 2% Gill, 43% don't know or no answer

(Likely Democratic primary voters only) If the primary for secretary of state were being held right now and the Democratic candidates were Ray Rickman, James Langevin, and Julia Califano, would you vote for: 27% Rickman, 5% Langevin, 11% Califano, 57% don't know or no answer

Would you say that over the past year, Rhode Island's economy has gotten better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse? 17% gotten better, 48% stayed about the same, 33% gotten worse, 2% don't know or no answer

What about the next 12 months or so? Do you expect the Rhode Island economy to get better, stay about the same, or get worse? 32% get better, 43% stay the same, 18% get worse, 7% don't know or no answer

We are interested in how people are getting along financially these days. Would you say that you (and your family living there) are: 31% better off, 34% worse off financially than you were a year ago, 35% don't know or no answer

Now looking ahead--do you think that a year from now you (and your family living there) will be: 29% better off financially, 10% worse off, 52% just about the same as now, 9% don't know or no answer

Now turning to business conditions in the state as a whole--do you think that during the next twelve months we'll have: 36% good times financially, 36% bad times, 28% don't know or no answer

Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely--that in the state as a whole: 29% we'll have continuous good times during the next five years, 48% that we will have periods of widespread unemployment or depression, 23% don't know or no answer

About the big things people buy for their homes--such as furniture, a refrigerator, stove, television, and things like that. Generally speaking, do you think now is a: 55% good, 24% bad time for people to buy major household items, 21% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Bill Clinton is doing as president? 6% excellent, 29% good, 44% only fair, 17% poor, 4% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job John Chafee is doing as U.S. Senator? 9% excellent, 48% good, 30% only fair, 7% poor, 6% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Claiborne Pell is doing as U.S. Senator? 13% excellent, 40% good, 28% only fair, 11% poor, 8% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Bruce Sundlun is doing as governor? 3% excellent, 17% good, 41% only fair, 35% poor, 4% don't know or no answer

Generally speaking, would you say things in Rhode Island are going in the right direction, or have they gotten off on the wrong track? 32% right direction, 55% wrong track, 13% don't know or no answer

As far as you are concerned, what is the most important problem facing the state of Rhode Island today? Open-ended responses coded as 33% unemployment and jobs, 13% ethics and corruption, 12% the economy, 6% politicians and government, 4% government spending, 4% education, 4% crime, 3% taxes, 3% the business climate, 2% roads and potholes (all others under 2%)

Shall a gambling facility and/or activity be established in the city of Providence? 34% yes, 56% no, 10% don't know or no answer

General Public Assistance is a state assistance program for single, disabled adults which has been reduced in the past three years from about $35 million a year to about zero. Do you approve or disapprove of this reduction in aid to General Public Assistance recipients? 28% approve, 57% disapprove, 15% don't know or no answer

In cases of domestic abuse, should Family Court judges be allowed to grant restraining orders over the phone 24 hours a day? 79% yes, 12% no, 9% don't know or no answer

Should girls younger than 18 years old be able to get restraining orders against abusive boyfriends? 86% yes, 6% no, 8% don't know or no answer

Should people who have been in an abusive relationship with someone in the last three years be allowed to get a restraining order against that person even if they are not married? 93% yes, 2% no, 5% don't know or no answer

Do you personally know anyone who in the last three years has been physically abused by a spouse or relative? 32% yes, 65% no, 3% don't know or no answer

(if yes) Was this case reported to police or other proper authorities? 55% yes, 26% no, 19% don't know or no answer

How much attention have you paid to the Los Angeles case involving accusations against O. J. Simpson? 46% a lot of attention, 35% some attention, 17% not very much attention, 2% don't know or no answer

Based on what you currently know, do you believe O. J. Simpson is guilty or not guilty of murdering his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson? 55% guilty, 10% not guilty, 35% don't know or no answer

Regardless of how you vote, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or something else? 13% Republican, 26% Democrat, 51% Independent, 7% Other, 3% don't know or no answer