Suffolk Poll Shows Nearly 7 in 10 MASS. Residents Approve of Governor Charlie Baker

“For a Massachusetts Republican who has been in office for more than six years, Charlie Baker continues to defy the odds,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Despite a slight downdraft in the vaccine distribution initially, his overall job approval is incredibly consistent and driven by unconventional demographics.”

Baker’s coronavirus approval nearly matches his 72% approval recorded last December, before the vaccine rollout. Today’s 71% approval rating for his handling of the pandemic is driven by Black and Hispanic residents (79%), residents ages 45-54 (78%), and women (76%).

Attending a sporting event, riding the T

Even though women overwhelmingly support Baker, they remain the one major demographic most uncomfortable partaking in activities like attending sporting events or riding public transportation. Among women, 73% are not comfortable attending a sporting event now or once allowed and 69% are not comfortable riding in buses, trains, or subways. By comparison, almost half of men would be comfortable attending a sporting event (46%) and taking public transportation (47%).

“Massachusetts returns to normalcy when women are more comfortable,” Paleologos said. “If women aren’t comfortable doing these activities, their decisions will likely influence the behavior of their families. This poll finding gives policymakers and economists an important key catalyst to recovery.” 

Financial outlook

One encouraging sign from the poll is that residents are less concerned about their own financial situation than they were when polled in December. Currently, 40% said they are very or somewhat concerned – a drop of 13 points since December. And 34% said that the coronavirus situation has diminished their regular income – a drop of nine points.

Back to normal

Massachusetts residents are split as to when the country will be back to normal, the way it was before the coronavirus. Just over half (51%) say the timeframe will be by the end of the year or sooner, while over 45% say the timeframe will be several years or never.

Methodology

The statewide Suffolk University survey was conducted through live interviews of cell phone and land line users. All respondents indicated that they were residents of Massachusetts. The survey of 500 respondents was conducted March 25– March 28. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent level of confidence. Results are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, [email protected].