Poll: Hochul backed on congestion pricing, social media limits, but overall rating low

ALBANY — New York voters overwhelmingly support two of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s most high-profile recent actions — yet their rating of the governor has hit an all-time low, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The Siena College survey found voters — by a 2-to-1 ratio — back Hochul’s move to put the brakes on new tolls for driving into Manhattan. Support is strong across party, geographic and economic lines, Siena said.

There’s even much greater support for a bill Hochul championed to ban social media companies from sending addictive online feeds to minors without parental consent: 70% of those surveyed back a ban. Just 12% oppose.

The State Legislature approved the ban bill two weeks ago.

Despite that, voters’ views of how Hochul is doing on the job has declined.

For example, 50% of voters gave her a thumbs-down when asked if they approve of the job she’s doing in office while 44% supported her.

Asked how they view the governor, 49% said unfavorably; 38% said favorably. That’s the worst Hochul has fared on those two questions since she took office in August 2021, Siena said.

“Among Democrats, she continues to have a 2-to-1 favorability rating and even stronger job approval rating,” Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg said. “However, she’s viewed unfavorably by 81% of Republicans and 61% of independents, while 84% of Republicans and 63% of independents disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.”

A federal judge Thursday tossed out most of the legal challenges mounted by several New York-based plaintiffs suing to stop the MTA’s now-shelved congestion pricing plan.

A majority of voters agreed with the idea Hochul “works hard for the people.” But Hochul’s rating showed a decline in two measures touching on likability.

Asked if Hochul “cares about people like you,” the governor went from plus 8 percentage points in December 2022 to minus 10 now — an 18-point swing.

Asked if Hochul works collaboratively with others, the governor went from plus 12 to plus 3, a 9-point change.

Hochul also happens to be caught in a tide of dissatisfaction with government executives everywhere, veteran Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said.

 "There’s a general dislike for and worry about executives all around. It’s not just New York," he said. "There's a sense things aren't going well, a sense that government isn't managing things well — and they gotta blame somebody."

He added: "People are balancing issues. They might like this about her but overall they don't like how things are going ... nobody's going to blame the [state] legislature. They're going to blame the governor."

In other findings, Siena said:

• Opposition to new $15 tolls, or congestion pricing, for driving into certain parts of Manhattan is strong even by groups that are often seen as supporting measures to boost mass transit: Democrats (46% opposing tolls to 28% favoring), self-described liberals (38%-30%) and union households (46%-21%).
• Notably, the higher the income statewide, the stronger the opposition: 32%-23% among those making less than $50,000 a year; 45%-23% for those making $50,000 to $100,000 a year; and 55%-23% for those making more than $100,000.
• Support for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot this fall stayed strong (59%-27% statewide) even with nuances. If the amendment was just about abortion rights, support would be greater (65%-20%). Support was still strong, though less, when asked about a provision of the amendment that would protect transgender rights (49%-32%).
• President Joe Biden leads Republican Donald Trump, 47%-39% statewide in the presidential election, a negligible change since April and May. That Biden doesn't have a larger lead in Democrat-heavy New York might be impacting why Hochul's ratings are down, Sheinkopf said.
• New York voters prefer a Democratic-led Congress to a Republican one, 50% to 35%.

Siena surveyed 805 registered New York voters from June 12 to 17. Results have an overall margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, meaning the results for any question could vary by that amount.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy