Poll: Cuomo gets highest marks for his handling of virus pandemic
Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his coroavirus update on April 25, 2020. Credit: NYS Governors Office
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is getting his highest marks from voters for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when half of respondents say they know someone who had contracted the virus and nearly a third know someone who has died from it, according to a poll released Monday.
Cuomo matches his highest favorability rating of 77% and hits his highest job performance rating of 71%, according to the Siena College Research Institute poll.
The poll also showed 87% support for continuing Cuomo's order to keep schools and most nonessential businesses closed until at least May 15 and 92% support Cuomo’s executive order to require protective masks or coverings in public places when social distancing can’t be maintained.
“Mired in middling poll numbers for the last two years, Cuomo is feeling the love from New Yorkers of all stripes in year three of his third term, and his first global pandemic,” said Steven Greenberg of the Siena poll. Cuomo “is viewed favorably by 90 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of independents and 53 percent of Republicans, his first time favorable with Republicans in more than six years.”
The poll also shows Cuomo has the trust of Republican voters over GOP President Donald Trump in handling the reopening of the state’s economy.
“Only 16 percent of voters — and only 36 percent of Republicans — trust Trump, compared to 78 percent of all voters — and 56 percent of Republicans — who trust Cuomo. Even self-identified conservatives trust Cuomo more, 57 to 34 percent,” Greenberg said.
The poll also showed how the pandemic is personal for many New Yorkers living in the state hit hardest by the virus.
Siena found 51% of voters polled knew someone personally who was infected by the virus, including 60% in New York City. Forty-six percent of respondents in New York City personally know someone who died of the virus and in the suburbs, including Long Island, that figure was 36%. Statewide, half of Latino and African Americans — communities hit hardest nationwide by the virus — know someone who died of the virus.
The poll questioned 295 registered voters in an online sample combined with 508 interviews by cellphone and landline telephone from April 19 to Thursday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
