SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY/HARTFORD COURANT POLL SHOWS MAJORITY OF REGISTERED VOTERS FAVOR BIDEN OVER TRUMP FOR ELECTION

State voters split on tolls and taxes, support legalization of recreational marijuana

FAIRFIELD, Conn.—A new poll by Sacred Heart University’s Institute for Public Policy shows Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has a comfortable lead right now against Donald Trump with Connecticut voters. Registered Democrats responding to the survey also reported they currently would vote for Joe Biden (42.1%), compared to 24.5% who reported they would vote for Bernie Sanders. Additionally, Gov. Ned Lamont is gaining approval for his performance, based on comparative polling conducted in the fall and earlier this winter.

The phone and digital poll, completed in partnership with the Hartford Courant between Feb. 24 and March 12, reached 1,000 Connecticut residents and asked 35 questions pertaining to the leading Democratic presidential candidates, the quality of life in Connecticut, Lamont’s transportation proposal and proposed “clean slate” legislation and the legalization of recreational marijuana. The poll did not include questions relating to the current coronavirus pandemic as that issue was just breaking domestically when the survey was created and first administered.

Regarding the national election, the highest number of respondents reported they would vote for Joe Biden (51.9%) over Donald Trump (35.6%), while slightly fewer said they would vote for Bernie Sanders (49.6%) over Trump (38.0%). In related findings:

• 14.7% of surveyed Republican residents reported they would vote for Biden if the race were between him and Trump, as well as 84.3% of Democratic residents and 49.4% of unaffiliated voters
• 11.6% of surveyed Republicans reported they would vote for Bernie Sanders if the race were between him and Trump, as did 80.2% of Democratic residents and 49.4% of unaffiliated voters
• The majority of respondents who previously planned to vote for Pete Buttigieg reported they now plan to vote for Joe Biden (65.6%), while the majority of those who previously planned to vote for Elizabeth Warren reported they now plan to vote for Bernie Sanders (53.3%)

Closer to home, survey respondents showed slightly more approval for Lamont’s performance and recently proposed legislation.

A higher rate of Connecticut residents surveyed in March (31%) said they approve of how Lamont is handling his job, which marks an increase over the 28.1% who reported the same in December, as well as 24.1% last September. Among those responding, metrics included 16.7% approval among Republicans (13.2% unsure), 25% approval among unaffiliated residents (32.9% unsure), and 48.2% approval among Democrats (29.8% unsure).

When asked about specific actions and policies, more respondents expressed disapproval of the way Lamont is handling taxes (57.5%) and tolls (56.8%). Moreover:

• 34.7% approve of the way Lamont is protecting the environment and providing green initiatives
• 32.7% approve of the way Lamont is handling public and primary education
• 30.2% approve of the way Lamont is handling health care

Regarding overall quality of life in Connecticut, 64.3% rated theirs as either excellent (18.5%) or good (45.8%), which marks an increase over the 60.6% who reported the same in December. On another positive note, fewer March respondents expressed belief that the quality of life in Connecticut is declining (21.3%), compared to the number of those who reported the same in December (27.0%).

Ayes for Marijuana and ‘Clean Slate’ Legislation

Survey respondents also weighed in on legalizing the use of recreational marijuana and on proposed “clean slate” legislation that would erase criminal records for specific misdemeanor crimes and decriminalized felony offenses seven years after the person’s most recent conviction. Such offenses include possession of less than four ounces of marijuana before Oct. 1, 2015, third-degree criminal trespassing and driving a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

The majority of surveyed residents (63.4%) reported they would strongly (34.4%) or somewhat (29%) support the legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut. A higher number of respondents ages 18-34 (79.2%) reported they would support the legalization of recreational marijuana, compared to respondents ages 35-44 (67.3%), 45-64 (61.5%) and 65 or older (40.4%) who reported the same.

Regarding the “clean slate” proposals, 62.5% of respondents reported they strongly (27.7%) or somewhat (34.8%) support the legislation. Fewer Republican residents surveyed (54.6%) reported they support the legislation when compared to Democratic (72.7%) and unaffiliated residents (61.4%).

“In light of the shrinking of the Democratic primary field since our last survey, the results of this new survey show a far more focused concentration of voters leaning toward Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders in a head-to-head presidential race against Donald Trump,” said Lesley DeNardis, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and director of SHU’s master of public administration (MPA) program. “It’s also encouraging to see residents’ approval ratings for Governor Lamont improving, as well as cautious optimism on overall quality-of-life issues in the state. As expected, dissention continues on how best to proceed with tolls and taxes, but support for legalization of recreational marijuana and the proposed ‘clean slate’ laws seems to be strong. These are interesting and challenging times, and while we all are now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s also important to see how residents are feeling about other important issues that may impact our daily lives in the near future.”

GreatBlue conducted the Connecticut-specific, scientific telephone survey on behalf of the Institute for Public Policy, interviewing 1,000 residents. Statistically, this sampling represents a margin for error of +/-3.02% at a 95% confidence level.

Sacred Heart’s Institute for Public Policy, which was established in 2017 in the College of Arts and Sciences, is aligned with the University’s master of public administration program. In addition to hosting state-wide polls, the institute conducts public policy research, hosts public forums and workshops and serves as a public-policy learning incubator for students.

A PDF file of complete polling results is available at www.sacredheart.edu/pollresults.

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About Sacred Heart University

As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu