State and National Public Survey, June 1996

January 1, 1996

June 15-18, 1996
N=423 Registered Voters
Margin of Error: +/-5 %

If the election for president were held today and the candidates were Republican Robert Dole and Democrat Bill Clinton, would you vote for: 22% Dole, 54% Clinton, 24% don't know or no answer

If the election for president were held today and the candidates were Republican Robert Dole, Democrat Bill Clinton, and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, would you vote for: 18% Dole, 49% Clinton, 11% Perot, 22% don't know or no answer

If the election for U.S. Senate were held today and the candidates were Republican Nancy Mayer and Democrat Jack Reed, would you vote for: 25% Mayer, 50% Reed, 25% don't know or no answer

If the election for the second congressional district were held today, would you vote for 1% Joseph McGair, 2% Gordon Mulligan, 7% Kathryn O'Hare, 29% Joseph Paolino, 16% Robert Weygand, 45% don't know or no answer (second district likely voters only)

Would you say that over the past year, Rhode Island's economy has gotten better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse? 14% gotten better, 39% stayed about the same, 40% gotten worse, 7% 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? 28% get better, 39% stay the same, 21% get worse, 12% 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: 36% better off, 31% worse off financially than you were a year ago, 33% 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: 26% better off financially, 8% worse off, 55% just about the same as now, 11% 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: 30% good times financially, 31% bad times, 39% don't know or no answer

Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely--that in the state as a whole: 27% we'll have continuous good times during the next five years or so, 43% that we will have periods of widespread unemployment or depression, or what, 30% 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: 48% good, 24% bad time for people to buy major household items, 28% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Bill Clinton is doing as president? 7% excellent, 42% good, 37% only fair, 9% poor, 5% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Claiborne Pell is doing as U.S. Senator? 18% excellent, 45% good, 18% only fair, 8% poor, 11% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job John Chafee is doing as U.S. Senator? 9% excellent, 43% good, 23% only fair, 10% poor, 15% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Patrick Kennedy is doing as U.S. Representative? 14% excellent, 41% good, 20% only fair, 10% poor, 15% don't know or no answer (first district only)

How would you rate the job Jack Reed is doing as U.S. Representative? 15% excellent, 45% good, 22% only fair, 5% poor, 13% don't know or no answer (second district only)

How would you rate the job Lincoln Almond is doing as governor? 4% excellent, 26% good, 40% only fair, 21% poor, 9% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Robert Weygand is doing as lieutenant governor? 5% excellent, 26% good, 23% only fair, 7% poor, 39% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Jeff Pine is doing as attorney general? 17% excellent, 49% good, 16% only fair, 3% poor, 15% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Jim Langevin is doing as secretary of state? 5% excellent, 29% good, 17% only fair, 2% poor, 47% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Nancy Mayer is doing as general treasurer? 11% excellent, 41% good, 22% only fair, 5% poor, 21% 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? 39% right direction, 44% wrong track, 17% 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 31% jobs and unemployment, 12% the economy, 6% taxes, 6% ethics and corruption, 5% government spending, 5% business climate, 3% politicians and government performance, 3% education, 3% crime, 3% welfare, 3% roads and potholes

Shall a gambling facility and/or activity be established in the City of Providence? 39% yes, 50% no, 11% don't know or no answer

Do you believe that those on public assistance should be required to get a job or do community work in order to receive cash benefits? 78% yes, 8% no, 14% don't know or no answer

Do you support a lifetime five-year limit on the time people can collect public assistance? 55% support, 26% oppose, 19% don't know or no answer

Should the cash benefit to a family of three on public assistance be lowered from $6,648 to $5,651 a year? 19% support, 57% oppose, 24% don't know or no answer

As you know, the Rhode Island Senate has passed a welfare reform bill that had been proposed by a coalition of community-based organizations. The Governor has promised to veto that legislation if it passes both houses and has offered his own plan to reform welfare. Do you prefer the coalition plan or the Governor's plan, or don't you have any preference? 12% coalition plan, 18% Governor's plan, 70% 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? 11% Republican, 27% Democrat, 48% Independent, 5% Other, 9% don't know or no answer

Other than being an American, how would you describe your family's ethnic or racial background? 20% Italian, 17% Irish, 15% English or Scottish, 5% Portuguese, 13% French Canadian, 3% African American, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 24% don't know or no answer