To: New Yorkers for Term Limits
From: McLaughlin & Associates
Re: Executive Survey Summary
Date: September 22, 2005


Summary

Across every demographic and political grouping, New Yorkers support term limits by overwhelming margins. Nearly four out of five voters (77%) said they support placing eight-year term limits on Senators, Assemblymen and the Governor, and nearly two-thirds (60%) say they strongly support these term limits. Three-quarters (74%) of voters in the New York City media market support term limits, including 76% inside the five boroughs. As popular resentment towards government in New York rises, voters continue to see term limits as a practical solution to the problems facing Albany, New York City, and New York State.

The Issue

Nearly 80% of respondents said they support "placing term limits on members of the State Legislature and the Governor, so that they can not serve any longer than eight consecutive years in the same office." Sixty-percent (60%) say they strongly support term limits. Only one-in-five New Yorkers (19%) oppose term limits for legislators and the Governor.

"Placing term limits on members of the State Legislature and the Governor, so that they can not serve any longer than eight consecutive years in the same office."

Support for term limits is high across all regions of the state. Central New Yorkers - in Syracuse, Elmira, Binghamton and Utica - are particularly favorable towards the issue, with approximately 85% of area respondents in support of term limits. Support drops off a little in New York City as a whole, and in Westchester and Rockland Counties, as well as in Rochester and the North Country, but even in these areas, at least two-thirds of respondents still support term limits. Inside New York City, support is highest in Manhattan and Staten Island, and lowest in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Areas Ranked by Support:

• Binghamton & Utica – 86%
• Manhattan – 86%
• Syracuse & Elmira – 84%
• Hudson Valley – 83%
• Staten Island – 82%
• Albany/Schenectady/Troy – 81%
• Long Island – 81%
• Buffalo – 77%
• NYC: Entire Media Market – 76%
• Queens – 76%
• NYC: Five Boroughs Only – 74%
• Watertown & Plattsburgh – 73%
• Rochester – 71%
• The Bronx – 68%
• Westchester & Rockland – 66%
• Brooklyn – 64%

Republicans and Independents support term limits slightly more than their Democrat counterparts. However, seventy-three percent (73%) of Democrats still support the issue, while nearly 9-in-10 Independents (86%) do as well. Republicans fall in the middle, at 80% support.

African-Americans and Whites are marginally more supportive of term limits than Hispanics. Both African-Americans and Whites registered support around eighty percent (81% and 77%, respectively), with a slight drop to 72% among Hispanics. New York City voters report greater similarity across the racial groups, as around three-quarters of Hispanics, African-Americans and Whites support term limits.

There is no statistical difference between men and women on this issue.

Click the following link to see an article (10/3/05) in the New York Sun referencing this survey.

Methodology

This poll of 600 likely general election voters in New York was conducted on September 15th, 2005. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers. Interview selection was random within predetermined election units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter turnout in a statewide general election. This poll of 600 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 4.0% at a 95% confidence interval.

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