Siena poll: Support for indexing minimum wage, lowering drunken driving threshold
Gov. Kathy Hochul in Washington on Feb. 10. Credit: Bloomberg / Andrew Harrer
ALBANY — A new poll released Monday shows New York voters giving Gov. Kathy Hochul strong support on several of her legislative initiatives: supporting indexing the minimum wage to inflation, lowering the drunken-driving threshold and raising cigarette taxes.
But the Siena College survey also shows voters oppose her idea to increase tax credits given to film and television production projects and to phase out the use of fossil fuels — like natural gas — in newly constructed buildings by 2028.
Siena poll spokesman Steve Greenberg noted the issues that carried the strongest support across political party lines were the minimum wage and drunken driving proposals.
By a count of 70% to 26%, voters supported Hochul’s idea of tying minimum-wage hike to inflation. The proposal was backed by 82% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans and 57% of voters who either belong to a minor party or are not enrolled in any party.
Currently, the minimum wage is $14.25 per hour north of Westchester County and $15 an hour in the New York metro area, including Long Island.
By 62%-33%, voters supported Hochul’s proposal to lower the threshold for driving while intoxicated from 0.08% blood alcohol content to 0.05%. It was backed by 69% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans and 53% of other voters.
Some of Hochul’s other initiatives have the support of overall voters, but that support tends to track party lines.
“Democrats, overwhelmingly, and independents, strongly, support both increasing the tax on cigarettes by a buck and banning flavored tobacco products,” Greenberg said. “Republicans are more closely divided, opposing the tax by six points, and supporting the flavor ban by three points.”
For example, Hochul’s idea to increase the tax from $4.35 per cigarette pack to $5.35 was favored by 73% of Democrats and 58% of independents. Among Republicans, only 44% were in favor of the tax hike, while 50% were opposed.
There apparently is less enthusiasm for the phaseout of fossil fuels — a key plank of the state’s clean energy goals. Hochul wants to prohibit the use of fossil fuels for newly constructed single-family homes by 2025 and all new buildings by 2028. Existing buildings wouldn’t be impacted.
Asked about the phaseout schedule, 53% of all those surveyed opposed it while 39% favored it.
The idea to expand a lucrative tax credit to television and film productions — intended to encourage companies to work in New York — from $420 million annually to $700 million also drew opposition: 48% opposed, 41% in favor.
Siena surveyed 520 registered voters from Feb. 19 to 23. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points for each question.
