In the first Quinnipiac University poll since the election, 40 percent of those surveyed disapprove of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's job performance and 51 percent disapprove of the way he is handling the state's budget crisis.
Fifty-six percent said Malloy's plan, a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts, is unfair and 66 percent said it relies on too many tax increases.
Malloy strategist Roy Occiogrosso said the results are not surprising, given the crisis Malloy inherited and the difficult decisions he is making.
"With all due respect, this is why the past couple of governors refused to make the tough decisions that needed to be made: because tough decisions often aren't popular ones,'' Occhiogrosso said in a statement. "Gov. Malloy has put forward an honest budget that asks virtually everyone in Connecticut to make sacrifices because he believes that's the only way we're going to fix what's broken and put Connecticut back to work. That people are unhappy with those sacrifices is no surprise."
Quinnipiac poll Director Doug Schwartz said Malloy negative job approval rating may be the result of a prevailing sense of crankiness among the electorate as a whole.
"Connecticut voters are in a grumpy mood,'' Schwartz said. "Nearly 70 percent are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the state and no elected official in this survey has an approval rating above 50 percent."
Yet there's a bright spot for the Democratic governor: 55 percent of the respondents said they are optimistic about the next four years under Malloy's leadership and 89 percent said they like his strategy of holding town hall meetings across the state to sell the budget plan.