July 18, 2012 - More Virginia Voters Back Out-And-In UVA President, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Want Arizona-Type Immigration Law Almost 2-1 Word format While most Virginia voters don't seem to be following the dispute, University of Virginia President Theresa Sullivan, PhD, emerged from her firing and rehiring as the public relations winner, as Board of Visitors Rector Helen Dragas, who led the effort to dump her, comes up short in the court of public opinion, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Virginia voters approve 47 - 7 percent of the decision to reinstate Dr. Sullivan as UVA president, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. By 27 - 3 percent, with 68 percent who haven't heard enough about her, Virginia voters have a favorable opinion of Sullivan while by 21 - 5 percent, with 72 percent who haven't heard enough, they have an unfavorable view of Ms. Dragas. Gov. Bob McDonnell gets a 37 - 16 percent approval rating for his handling of the UVA situation. Only 26 percent approve of his decision to reappoint Ms. Dragas as head of the school's Board of Visitors, while 23 percent disapprove, with 51 percent undecided. The public's view of the Charlottesville school has remained largely unaffected by the controversy, with 70 percent of registered votes saying it has not affected their view of the state's flagship university. "The UVA leadership soap opera played out with little impact on Virginia voters. Among the voters who followed the drama, there was a public relations winner, Dr. Theresa Sullivan, and a loser, Helen Dragas," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling institute. "But for the most part the public's view of UVA remains unchanged. Gov. Bob McDonnell also emerged from the whole thing as a public relations winner for his handling of the controversy." The UVA controversy, however, had little impact on Gov. McDonnell's overall standing with voters: His 55 - 29 percent overall job approval rating is virtually unchanged from the 53 - 30 percent rating June 6, before the UVA controversy erupted. On another matter, Virginia voters say 62 - 34 percent they would favor a law similar to the one in Arizona that would require police to verify the legal status of someone they have already stopped or arrested if they suspect that the person is in the country illegally. The partisan split on this issue is mammoth with 91 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independent voters and 35 percent of Democrats favoring such a law. By 53 - 40 percent, however, voters support President Barack Obama's policy in which young illegal immigrants who came to the country as children will be able to obtain work permits and not face deportation. That issue, too, has a partisan split, with 80 percent of Democrats, 54 percent of independent voters and 28 percent of Republicans backing the policy. "Virginians, like voters nationally, have mixed feelings about immigration policy. They like President Barack Obama's decision to exempt some younger illegal immigrants from deportation. Yet, by almost two-to-one they would like the Virginia legislature to pass a law similar to the one in Arizona that the Supreme Court recently upheld," said Brown. Job approval ratings for other statewide elected officials are: U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, 57 - 24 percent; U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, 43 - 30 percent; Lt. Gov. Gov. Bill Bolling, 36 - 19 percent; Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, 44 - 31 percent, The State Legislature, split 41 - 41 percent. From July 10 - 16, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,673 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. 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bob McDonnell is handling his job as Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 55% 82% 32% 54% 60% 50% 61% 29% Disapprove 29 6 49 29 28 29 22 52 DK/NA 17 12 20 17 12 21 16 19 WHITE.............................................. COLLEGE DEG BornAgnEv Miltry Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Yes No HsHld Approve 59% 63% 66% 67% 66% 57% 69% 61% 56% Disapprove 30 18 18 21 22 22 12 25 29 DK/NA 11 20 16 12 11 21 19 14 15 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 53% 56% 47% 53% 59% 60% 48% 57% 57% Disapprove 35 25 28 30 26 30 34 28 26 DK/NA 12 20 24 17 15 10 17 15 18 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bob McDonnell is handling his job as Governor? (*Low also 53% Mar 2012) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Oct 12 Jun 06 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012* Approve 55 53 53 58 57 62 53 Disapprove 29 30 32 24 21 22 30 DK/NA 17 17 14 18 22 16 17 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 41% 62% 25% 37% 46% 36% 45% 23% Disapprove 41 18 56 49 39 44 36 61 DK/NA 18 20 19 14 15 21 20 16 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 41% 40% 37% 35% 42% 47% 37% 42% 42% Disapprove 47 38 41 44 40 43 48 42 36 DK/NA 12 21 21 21 18 11 15 16 22 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job? (*High also 48% Jun 2011) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Sep 14 Mar 21 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011* 2012 Approve 41 41 38 47 46 48 38 Disapprove 41 44 47 37 36 34 47 DK/NA 18 16 15 17 18 18 15 11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mark Warner is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 57% 50% 70% 55% 55% 59% 57% 64% Disapprove 24 33 14 24 27 21 24 16 DK/NA 19 18 16 21 18 20 19 20 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 62% 54% 60% 54% 54% 62% 57% 56% 60% Disapprove 21 25 24 23 23 24 20 26 23 DK/NA 17 21 15 22 23 14 22 18 17 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mark Warner is handling his job as United States Senator? (*High also 64% Sep 2011, **Low also 57% Jun 2011) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Feb 09 Jul 18 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012* 2012** Approve 57 60 62 64 62 64 57 Disapprove 24 21 23 22 23 22 24 DK/NA 19 19 16 14 16 14 19 12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Jim Webb is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 43% 35% 57% 42% 44% 43% 43% 51% Disapprove 30 41 19 30 34 27 30 22 DK/NA 26 25 24 28 22 31 27 27 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 51% 39% 42% 39% 42% 47% 38% 43% 46% Disapprove 29 31 29 28 31 34 30 31 30 DK/NA 20 31 29 33 27 19 32 26 24 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Jim Webb is handling his job as United States Senator? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Feb 09 Jul 18 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 Approve 43 48 49 52 48 52 43 Disapprove 30 26 28 26 29 26 30 DK/NA 26 25 23 22 23 22 26 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Bolling is handling his job as Lieutenant Governor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 36% 50% 22% 36% 41% 30% 39% 26% Disapprove 19 9 31 19 15 23 17 29 DK/NA 45 41 47 45 43 47 45 45 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 36% 36% 36% 36% 34% 36% 37% 34% 35% Disapprove 26 15 21 14 18 22 24 18 18 DK/NA 39 49 43 50 48 42 39 48 46 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Bolling is handling his job as Lieutenant Governor? (*High also 39% Jun 2011, **Low also 35% Oct 2011) APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Sep 14 Dec 22 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011* 2011** Approve 36 36 36 38 35 39 35 Disapprove 19 21 21 19 18 15 18 DK/NA 45 44 43 43 46 45 46 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ken Cuccinelli is handling his job as Virginia Attorney General? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 44% 69% 23% 40% 49% 39% 46% 32% Disapprove 31 9 52 33 30 32 28 43 DK/NA 25 22 25 27 21 29 25 25 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 43% 44% 40% 44% 46% 45% 38% 47% 45% Disapprove 42 25 26 28 30 41 33 30 31 DK/NA 15 31 34 28 24 14 29 23 24 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ken Cuccinelli is handling his job as Virginia Attorney General? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 18 Jun 06 Mar 21 Feb 09 Dec 22 Jun 29 Jul 18 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 Approve 44 46 45 46 47 49 44 Disapprove 31 29 32 31 27 31 31 DK/NA 25 25 23 23 26 20 25 24. As you may know, the Obama administration has announced a new policy in which young illegal immigrants who came to the country as children will be able to obtain work permits and will not face deportation. Do you support or oppose this new policy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Support 53% 28% 80% 54% 51% 56% 46% 82% Oppose 40 64 15 40 43 37 47 15 DK/NA 7 9 5 6 6 7 8 3 WHITE.............................................. COLLEGE DEG BornAgnEv Miltry Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Yes No HsHld Support 56% 40% 40% 48% 44% 48% 33% 49% 55% Oppose 39 51 52 45 49 44 57 45 39 DK/NA 5 9 9 7 7 8 10 6 6 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Support 61% 48% 52% 56% 52% 56% 61% 52% 50% Oppose 34 44 44 34 42 40 33 43 41 DK/NA 5 8 4 10 6 5 6 5 8 25. Does this new policy make you more likely to vote for Barack Obama for President, less likely to vote for Barack Obama for President, or doesn't it make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk More likely 14% 3% 31% 12% 14% 15% 12% 25% Less likely 28 56 3 25 29 28 35 3 No difference 56 41 64 61 57 55 52 71 DK/NA 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 WHITE.............................................. COLLEGE DEG BornAgnEv Miltry Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Yes No HsHld More likely 16% 9% 7% 13% 12% 12% 6% 12% 12% Less likely 31 38 38 39 34 36 46 32 29 No difference 53 51 53 48 54 50 47 56 57 DK/NA - 2 1 - 1 2 2 - 1 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ More likely 17% 13% 15% 13% 15% 15% 25% 10% 12% Less likely 26 30 29 24 33 29 20 28 32 No difference 57 55 55 60 52 55 54 60 54 DK/NA 1 2 1 4 - 1 1 1 2 26. As you may know, in 2010 the state of Arizona passed a law that requires police to verify the legal status of someone they have already stopped or arrested if they suspect that the person is in the country illegally. Do you approve or disapprove of Arizona's immigration law? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 64% 92% 36% 63% 63% 65% 72% 39% Disapprove 31 5 57 33 33 29 24 53 DK/NA 5 3 7 4 4 5 4 8 WHITE.............................................. COLLEGE DEG BornAgnEv Miltry Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Yes No HsHld Approve 63% 77% 78% 75% 72% 71% 86% 68% 68% Disapprove 34 18 18 23 25 24 10 28 28 DK/NA 3 5 4 2 3 5 4 4 4 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 59% 68% 62% 64% 68% 62% 56% 68% 65% Disapprove 38 27 28 30 30 37 40 28 28 DK/NA 3 6 10 6 2 1 4 4 7 27. Would you want to see a similar law passed in Virginia, requiring police to verify legal status of someone they have already stopped or arrested if they suspect that the person is in the country illegally? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Yes 62% 91% 35% 59% 60% 64% 70% 36% No 34 5 59 38 36 32 26 58 DK/NA 4 3 6 3 5 4 4 6 WHITE.............................................. COLLEGE DEG BornAgnEv Miltry Yes No Prot Cath Men Wom Yes No HsHld Yes 58% 78% 76% 72% 70% 70% 86% 65% 65% No 39 19 19 26 27 26 10 31 31 DK/NA 3 4 5 1 3 4 4 4 4 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Yes 53% 67% 64% 64% 64% 59% 51% 65% 66% No 44 28 27 33 34 40 44 33 28 DK/NA 4 5 9 3 2 2 4 3 6 28. Is your opinion of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 27% 21% 34% 28% 26% 28% 26% 29% Unfavorable 3 5 1 3 4 2 4 1 Hvn't hrd enough 68 73 64 67 68 68 68 69 REFUSED 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 - COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Favorable 38% 20% 16% 25% 28% 37% 23% 26% 31% Unfavorable 5 2 3 2 2 4 3 3 4 Hvn't hrd enough 55 76 79 71 68 58 72 71 63 REFUSED 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 29. Is your opinion of University of Virginia governing board chairman Helen Dragas favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about her? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Favorable 5% 6% 4% 5% 6% 4% 4% 4% Unfavorable 21 15 25 24 22 20 23 16 Hvn't hrd enough 72 77 70 70 70 75 72 80 REFUSED 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 - COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Favorable 5% 5% 3% 5% 5% 5% 6% 4% 5% Unfavorable 36 13 11 15 21 34 20 20 24 Hvn't hrd enough 58 81 85 79 73 59 72 75 70 REFUSED 2 1 1 - 2 2 2 1 2 30. How closely have you been following news about the situation at the University of Virginia, which recently saw its president forced to resign by the school's governing board, only to be reinstated two weeks later after faculty and student protests? Would you say you have been following it very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Very closely 11% 9% 14% 10% 11% 11% 12% 8% Somewhat closely 28 26 28 30 27 28 29 26 Not too closely 29 31 28 27 29 29 29 30 Not at all 32 33 29 32 32 32 30 36 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 - COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Very closely 19% 6% 5% 9% 10% 17% 4% 9% 16% Somewhat closely 35 23 21 32 29 30 28 26 30 Not too closely 24 32 34 28 29 26 31 29 27 Not at all 21 38 38 29 31 26 37 36 25 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 - 1 - 1 1 31. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Governor Bob McDonnell has handled this situation at the University of Virginia? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 37% 44% 33% 37% 42% 33% 40% 27% Disapprove 16 7 24 16 12 19 14 22 DK/NA 47 49 43 47 46 48 46 50 Cont'd COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 42% 34% 38% 37% 36% 41% 29% 34% 45% Disapprove 18 14 14 17 17 17 20 15 15 DK/NA 39 52 48 47 47 42 51 52 41 32. Has this situation at the University of Virginia made you think more favorably of the University of Virginia, less favorably of the University of Virginia, or hasn't it affected your opinion of the University of Virginia? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk More favorably 6% 5% 6% 7% 7% 4% 5% 8% Less favorably 14 11 16 14 15 12 15 12 Not affect opinion 70 74 70 69 69 71 70 70 DK/NA 11 11 9 11 9 12 10 11 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ More favorably 6% 6% 6% 8% 6% 5% 6% 4% 8% Less favorably 19 10 12 9 14 18 16 14 12 Not affect opinion 68 71 68 70 72 71 71 71 68 DK/NA 7 13 14 13 9 6 8 11 12 33. Do you approve or disapprove of the decision by the University of Virginia governing board to reinstate Teresa Sullivan as president? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 47% 38% 57% 47% 49% 46% 49% 47% Disapprove 7 8 8 7 9 6 7 8 DK/NA 45 53 35 46 43 48 44 45 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 58% 41% 42% 51% 49% 54% 44% 45% 53% Disapprove 7 8 10 9 5 7 11 7 6 DK/NA 35 52 48 40 46 39 45 49 42 34. Do you approve or disapprove of the decision by Governor Bob McDonnell to reappoint Helen Dragas to the University of Virginia's governing board? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Approve 26% 31% 24% 26% 31% 22% 27% 25% Disapprove 23 15 29 24 23 23 23 24 DK/NA 51 54 47 50 46 55 51 51 COLLEGE DEG ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... Yes No <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K 18-34 35-54 55+ Approve 26% 27% 32% 28% 29% 24% 31% 24% 28% Disapprove 33 17 16 22 22 31 22 23 23 DK/NA 42 56 52 50 49 45 47 53 49 Demographic Summary
