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Republican pollster says things are looking up for Scott

Posted Aug 22, 2011 by Catherine Whittenburg, Tallahassee bureau

Updated Aug 22, 2011 at 02:28 PM

Gov. Rick Scott’s popularity and approval ratings have been in the dumps for months, but new results from McLaughlin & Associates paint a—somewhat—rosier picture for the governor.

According to the Republican firm, which conducted the poll for Associated Industries of Florida, 45 percent of respondents approve of the job Scott’s doing. That improves on the 35 percent approval rating that Scott received in a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this month.

“Certainly, the Governor’s approval ratings have been low; however, these numbers are higher than other, recent polls and I think they will only continue to improve,” AIF Vice President Ryan Tyson said in a release.

But the Q-poll had found that 45 percent of those polls did not like Scott personally. The new McLaughlin poll shows that 47 percent have an “unfavorable” opinion of him.

Here’s what respondents had to say about some of Scott’s policies. Included also are the pollster’s actual questions which—save for a relatively neutral question about drug testing—cast a pretty flattering light on each of the policies mentioned.

Favor/oppose “passing $200 million in property tax relief and tax cuts targeted to small businesses to help them create jobs?” 79 percent favored.

Favor/oppose “reforming the state pension system so that state workers contribute to their own retirement, just like workers in the private sector?” 76 percent favored.

Favor/oppose “requiring drug testing for people applying for welfare?” 74 percent favored.

Favor/oppose “ending the practice of granting teachers tenure, which makes it possible to remove bad teachers from the classroom?” 73 percent favored.

For breakouts by gender and political affiliation, see full results here.