A big gender gap leaves Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett stuck with a split 39 - 38 percent job approval rating, with 23 percent of voters still undecided as the new governor approaches the six- month mark, according to a Quinnipiac University poll release today.
Men approve of Gov. Corbett 48 - 34 percent, but women disapprove 43 - 30 percent, an 18-point gender gap, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.
This compares to Corbett's split 39 - 37 percent approval rating April 27, when there was a 7-point gender gap.
In today's survey, Pennsylvania voters say 51 - 14 percent, including 45 - 16 percent among women, that they like Corbett as a person. But they don't like his policies 43 - 38 percent, including 49 - 31 percent among women.
Voters disapprove 52 - 33 percent of the way Corbett is handling the state budget and say 48 - 36 percent that Corbett's proposals to balance the budget are unfair to people like them. Democrats say unfair 66 - 19 percent while Republicans say fair 55 - 31 percent. Independent voters say unfair 45 - 38 percent.
"Gov. Tom Corbett gets a mixed overall approval rating, despite getting a negative approval rating for his handling of the budget. Voters like him personally more than they do his policies," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"The good news for the governor is that his numbers have apparently stabilized after falling sharply in our last poll in April. Also, he is not in negative territory like other new Republican governors such as Florida Gov. Scott and Ohio Gov. Kasich. On the other hand, after five months in office, no governor could feel good about being at 39 percent in job approval."
"At this point in his term, it is unusual to have this many voters still undecided about the governor's job performance," Malloy added.
"Corbett's low approval among women is due in part because women are more likely to disapprove of his handling of the budget. In particular, they are more likely to say they disapprove of cutting funding to state universities, opposing this step 67 - 26 percent."
Pennsylvania voters say 49 - 44 percent that the governor should be the highest paid state public employee.
Wages and benefits for state workers are too high, 45 percent of voters say, while 12 percent say they are too low and 34 percent say they are about right.
Pennsylvania voters say 63 - 30 percent that the economic benefits of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale outweigh the environmental impacts. Support is strong among men, women, all parties and in all regions, ranging from 55 - 38 percent among voters in the northeast corner of the state to 69 - 25 percent among voters in the northwest corner.
Voters support 69 - 24 percent a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas. Even Republicans support such a tax 59 - 33 percent. Support tops 60 percent among all other groups and in all regions.
"'Drill, baby, drill,' is the call from Pennsylvania voters, and 'tax, baby, tax,' is the follow-up as voters see natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale as an economic plus more than an environmental negative," Malloy said. "They also see added taxes on gas drillers as one of the few acceptable ways to help balance the budget."
Looking at other possible budget-balancing steps, Pennsylvania voters:
-- Support 69 - 25 percent selling state liquor stores;
-- Oppose 54 - 34 percent leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private company;
-- Support 70 - 26 percent a wage freeze for state employees;
-- Split 45 - 47 percent on layoffs for state employees;
-- Oppose 62 - 31 percent funding cuts for state and state-related universities.
From June 7 - 12, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,277 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.
A complete copy of the poll results is available online.
