State and National Public Survey, September 1996

January 1, 1996

September 16-19, 1996
N=405 Registered Voters
Margin of Error: +/-5 %

If the election for president were held today and the candidates were Republican Robert Dole, Democrat Bill Clinton, Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, or Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, would you vote for: 17% Dole,, 58% Clinton, 7% Perot, 4% Nader, 14% don't know or no answer

If the election for U.S. Senate were held today and the candidates were Republican Nancy Mayer, Democrat Jack Reed, or Independent Donald Lovejoy, would you vote for: 32% Mayer, 49% Reed, 4% Lovejoy, 15% don't know or no answer

If the election for the first congressional district were held today, would you vote for the Republican Giovanni Cicione, Democrat Patrick Kennedy, Green Party candidate Graham Schwass, Independent Gregory Raposa, or Independent Michael Rolllins? 10% Cicione, 63% Kennedy, 1% Schwass, 1% Raposa, 2% Rollins, 23% don't know or no answer

If the election for the second congressional district were held today, would you vote for the Republican Rick Wild, Democrat Robert Weygand, Independent Gail Casman, Independent Jack Potter, or Independent Thomas Ricci? 13% Wild, 52% Weygand, 2% Casman, 3% Potter, 4% Ricci, 26% don't know or no answer

Should Rhode Island adopt direct voter initiative, which would allow voters to amend the State Constitution and enact state statutes without the approval of the General Assembly? 44% yes, 33% no, 23% 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: 44% better off, 26% worse off financially than you were a year ago, 30% 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: 31% better off financially, 10% worse off, 52% just about the same as now, 7% 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: 32% good times financially, 36% bad times, 32% don't know or no answer

Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely--that in the state as a whole: 33% we'll have continuous good times during the next five years or so, 44% that we will have periods of widespread unemployment or depression, or what, 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: 56% good, 24% bad time for people to buy major household items, 20% don't know or no answer

Did you move to your present residence from: 44% another address in your city/town, 39% another city or town in Rhode Island, 11% another state, 6% other

(FOR THOSE WHO MOVED FROM ANOTHER STATE)

Why did you move to Rhode Island? 33% Job, 22% Close to relatives, 6% the environment, 2% Visited it and liked it, 0% Wanted to be in the east, 4% Wanted to be close to water (ocean), 4% Wanted to retire here, 4% Found a great spot, 25% don't know or no answer

Compared to the state you came from, is your House (home): 48% Better, 20% Worse, 12% The same, 20% don't know or no answer

Neighborhood: 36% Better, 19% Worse, 24% The same, 21% don't know or no answer

Environment: 41% Better, 21% Worse, 19% The same, 19% don't know or no answer

Job: 38% Better, 14% Worse, 14% The same, 34% don't know or no answer

Income: 31% Better, 16% Worse, 22% The same, 31% don't know or no answer

Town or city: 31% Better, 19% Worse, 28% The same, 22% don't know or no answer

Taxes: 16% Better, 43% Worse, 10% The same, 31% don't know or no answer

Quality of life: 38% Better, 21% Worse, 19% The same, 22% don't know or no answer

(FOR ALL RESPONDENTS)

Have you ever thought of moving to another state? 57% Yes, 41% No, 2% don't know or no answer

If so, can you tell me why? 2% Home (house), 2% Neighborhood, 8% Environment, 22% Better Job, 9% Job loss or job insecurity in RI, 1% Town or City, 12% Taxes, 14% economic climate, 9% Political Climate, 21% don't know or no answer

Are you thinking about moving to another state in the next year? 14% Yes, 75% No, 2% Not sure, 9% don't know or no answer

If so, can you tell me why? 3% Home (house), 5% Neighborhood, 2% Environment, 21% Better Job, 13% Job loss or job insecurity in RI, 2% Town or City, 16% Taxes, 5% economic climate, 12% Political Climate, 21% don't know or no answer

Do you own your own home or do you rent? 68% Own Home, 20% Rent, 12% Other

Has the value of you home: 39% gone up, 24% down or 26% stayed about the same in recent years? 11% don't know or no answer

(FOR RENTERS ONLY) Are you thinking of buying a home? 44% Yes, 56% No

If no, Can you tell me why you are not planning to buy? 37% Income too low, 11% Prices too high, 0% Poor Schools, 0% Taxes too high, 3% Planning to move soon, 16% Prefer to rent, 33% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Bill Clinton is doing as president? 7% excellent, 52% good, 30% only fair, 9% poor, 2% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Claiborne Pell is doing as U.S. Senator? 23% excellent, 40% good, 21% only fair, 6% poor, 10% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job John Chafee is doing as U.S. Senator? 11% excellent, 42% good, 24% only fair, 7% poor, 16% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Patrick Kennedy is doing as U.S. Representative? 11% excellent, 51% good, 19% only fair, 7% poor, 12% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Jack Reed is doing as U.S. Representative? 11% excellent, 39% good, 24% only fair, 8% poor, 18% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Lincoln Almond is doing as governor? 4% excellent, 26% good, 42% only fair, 21% poor, 7% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Robert Weygand is doing as lieutenant governor? 4% excellent, 44% good, 23% only fair, 7% poor, 22% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Jeff Pine is doing as attorney general? 14% excellent, 50% good, 16% only fair, 3% poor, 17% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Jim Langevin is doing as secretary of state? 7% excellent, 34% good, 18% only fair, 2% poor, 39% don't know or no answer

How would you rate the job Nancy Mayer is doing as general treasurer? 18% excellent, 45% good, 18% only fair, 2% poor, 17% 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? 46% right direction, 37% 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 28% jobs and unemployment, 8% economy, 8% taxes, 7% crime 6% budget, 6% ethics and corruption, 6% education, 6% business climate, 5% government and politicians (all other responses under 5%)

Who do you think the state's new airport terminal should be named after? open-ended responses with top mentions being Claiborne Pell (32 mentions), Theodore F. Green (29 mentions), Mary Brennan (6 mentions), and Roger Williams (5 mentions). Bruce Sundlun had 2 positive mentions and 2 negative mentions. No one else received more than one mention.

Regardless of how you vote, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or something else? 12% Republican, 32% Democrat, 46% Independent, 9% Other, 1% don't know or no answer