COLONIE — Nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers say they are concerned about getting COVID-19, while 87 percent approve of how Gov. Andrew Cuomo is handling the pandemic, according to a recent poll by the Siena College Research Institute.
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Local health departments, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the federal Center for Disease Control also got an overwhelming thumbs up, according to the poll.
More people disapprove of the job being done by President Donald Trump (56-41,) Vice President Mike Pence (47-41,) the head of the COVID-19 Task Force, and the U.S. Senate (44-43.)
“In the midst of this global pandemic, New Yorkers approve of Gov. Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic with near universal support,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “President Trump, on the other hand, gets praise from 82 percent of Republicans, but 52 percent of independents and 79 percent of Democrats disapprove of the job he’s doing.”
Ninety-two percent of New Yorkers say they’re very (73 percent) or somewhat (19 percent) concerned about the pandemic, and 79 percent say they are very (42 percent) or somewhat (37 percent) concerned about getting the coronavirus themselves, according to the poll.
Four percent of voters say they are in a household with someone who has tested positive, and 10 percent say someone is sick but not tested. One-third say someone in their household is either under mandatory or voluntary quarantine. Twenty-six percent say someone in their household has been laid off, and 53 percent say someone is working from home.
While about 40 percent of downstaters personally know someone who has tested positive, only 14 percent of upstaters personally know someone, according to the poll.
Seventy percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents think “things will be back to normal sometime soon,” while 54 percent of Democrats say they are not confident.
According to the poll, one of every three New York City voters lives in a household where someone has been laid off, while the same is true in 24 percent of downstate suburban and 19 percent of upstate households.
And nearly 60 percent of downstate households and 44 percent of upstate households have someone working from home, Greenberg said.
“Sadly, only a little more than one-quarter of New Yorkers say that a friend or neighbor has checked in on them or provided them with some assistance, with little variation by region or age,” Greenberg said.
By a 59-33 percent margin, voters say the federal government is not doing enough to meet the financial needs of average Americans. By 48-37 percent, they say the feds are not doing enough to meet the most affected industries. And by 63-24 percent, they say the feds are not meeting the financial needs of small businesses.
Phone calls to complete the poll were conducted prior to the $2 trillion stimulus bill pass by Congress and signed by the president.
When asked how they would spend whatever money they received from the federal government, 53 percent say they will use it for immediate needs, 24 percent say they will save it for future needs and 14 percent intend to donate the money,” according to the poll.
The poll was conducted March 22 through March 26 by telephone calls conducted in English to 566 New York state registered voters. It has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points.
