A new Quinnipiac University poll of Connecticut voters found support for hot-button issues such as legalized marijuana and raising the minimum wage, but little enthusiasm for bringing back highway tolls and less optimism for the overall condition of the state”™s economy.
On the question of allowing adults in Connecticut to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use, support outweighed opposition 59 percent to 36 percent, respectively, with the remaining percentage not offering an answer. Raising the state”™s minimum wage from $10.10/hour to $15.00/hour was supported by 63 percent and opposed by 33 percent, and support for eliminating the state income tax outweighed opposition 49 percent to 35 percent. However, when asked if it was realistic to expect the state income tax to be eliminated within eight years, 56 percent said it was not realistic and 35 percent insisted that it was.
Regarding tolls, 53 percent of respondents opposed the reintroduction of tolls while 40 percent supported the idea. When asked about their satisfaction on the Connecticut economy, 39 percent defined the economy as “not so good” and 32 percent rated it “poor,” with 25 percent believing it was “good” and a scant 1 percent claiming it was “excellent.”
As for the political side of the economy, 67 percent of respondents disapproved of how Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has done his job, with 25 percent offering him their approval. Regarding the November election, Democrat Ned Lamont was ahead of Republican Bob Stefanowski in a 53 percent to 37 percent spread for a head-to-head matchup for governor; when independent candidate Oz Griebel and Libertarian Party candidate Rod Hanscomb were added, the poll found 46 percent of respondents favoring Lamont, 33 percent backing Stefanowski, 4 percent siding with Griebel and 1 percent in support of Hanscomb.
Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,029 Connecticut voters for its poll between Aug. 16 and 21, with a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.