An overwhelming majority of New Yorkers approve of how Gov. Andrew Cuomo is handling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll released on Monday.
Eighty-seven percent of New York residents surveyed in the Siena College Research Institute poll said they are pleased with the governor’s response. Eleven percent of respondents said they did not agree with how Cuomo was handling the pandemic, including 26% of Republicans surveyed.
Cuomo’s overall approval rating has also seen a bump. The poll tallied the governor’s general approval rating to be 71% in March, a dramatic jump from his 44% approval rating last month. His unfavorable rating was 50% in February but dropped to 23% in March.
The poll results also showed state residents gave high marks to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is a member of President Trump’s coronavirus task force; their local leader and health department; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for how they’ve handled the crisis.
Sixty-one percent of New York City residents approved of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s response to the pandemic. The response by the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump all got approval ratings in the 40s, and the House response got 54% approval.
The poll, which included surveying 566 registered voters in the state, was conducted from March 22-26. There is a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
New York has become a major hot spot for the COVID-19 virus in the United States, which has seen at least 790 deaths associated with the illness.
