Poll Shows Support For

Rowland’s Decision To Quit

A recent survey by the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis indicates a vast majority of state residents support Gov John Rowland’s decision to resign.

The poll also indicates that Connecticut residents hold a skeptical view of Gov Rowland’s legacy. According to the survey, the Committee of Inquiry was rated highly.

The latest UConn poll was conducted by telephone with a scientific sample of 505 Connecticut residents on Monday, immediately after Gov Rowland’s 6 pm television address. The sampling error was plus or minus 4.4 percent.

According to the poll, Gov Rowland’s announcement that he would be resigning from office was met with overwhelming support from Connecticut residents. Nearly nine out of ten (87 percent) said they either strongly or somewhat support his decision to step down.

“Connecticut’s residents have made their preference clear for several months now with nearly seven to ten calling for Gov Rowland’s resignation,” commented Chris Barnes, associate director of the Center for Survey Research and Analysis. “Only after exhausting all other political and legal options did the Governor make a decision that the majority of people in the state support: to resign.”

When asked to rate Gov Rowland’s performance over the last ten years, Connecticut residents are evenly split, with 47 percent rating his work positively and 51 percent rating his terms in office negatively.

“This controversy and the subsequent investigation not only resulted in low performance ratings in the present, but people also look back on Rowland’s overall service somewhat negatively,” Mr Barnes said.

Nearly two thirds of Connecticut residents (64 percent) say Gov Rowland’s legacy will be viewed as either very or somewhat negatively in the coming years; slightly more than a quarter of the residents (28 percent) say the Governor’s legacy will be viewed positively.

“Although evaluations of his performance over the last decade are mixed, ultimately residents believe his legacy will be tarnished by this scandal,” Mr Barnes said.

The Committee of Inquiry is well regarded by residents with nearly seven in ten residents rating its investigation of Gov Rowland either excellent or good, 21 and 48 percent respectively.

In addition, the media receives high marks from state residents. Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of residents think news coverage of the controversy has treated the Governor fairly, while 20 percent say coverage has been unfair.

“People have very strong opinions about Gov Rowland and are paying a great deal of attention to media coverage on this issue,” Mr Barnes said. “State residents also think that the news they have been getting from the media has been treating the Governor fairly.”

Fifty-five percent of Connecticut residents say they have heard “a lot” about the controversy surrounding Gov Rowland. In addition, a large percentage of residents either watched his televised address (46 percent) or heard, read, or saw news reports about it (66 percent).

According to the survey, Gov Rowland’s resignation was so well received that his performance rating rose in the wake of Monday’s announcement. Previously, Gov Rowland achieved the distinction of having the lowest performance rating of any governor in the 26-year history of the UConn poll (20 percent). He also had the distinction of having the highest rating of 73 percent in September 1998.

The latest survey finds that his support has rebounded somewhat to a net positive performance of a third of residents (33 percent) describing his job performance as either “excellent” or “good,” seven and 26 percent respectively.

While the Governor’s numbers have changed, the poll indicated that Connecticut residents continue to uniformly disapprove of his performance, with 75 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of Independents, and 62 percent of Republicans giving Gov Rowland a rating of either fair or poor.