Spring Break
Governor's approval drops to 32 percent
Harvey Ranola
Issue date: 5/7/09 Section: News
Recent findings from SJSU's Survey and Policy Research Institute revealed that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating has hit near-record lows.
According to the survey, released in late April, 32 percent of Californians approve of the job the governor has done.
This nearly ties the current governor's record low of 31 percent, when the institute released their results in September 2005.
Out of the 51 percent who disapproved of the governor, 52 percent identified themselves as democrats, and 37 percent as republicans.
Survey and Policy Research Institute has been conducting surveys since 2002 and research director Melinda Jackson said the institute has been much more active in the last five months, because of some reorganization that took place last summer.
She said she hopes these surveys can be conducted every semester, because they benefit both students and staff.
"The idea is that it is an opportunity for students who are taking research methods classes to work on a survey," she said. "It also gives faculty members an opportunity to place questions on a survey."
Pessimism about the direction of the state has reached a record low, according to the survey, with 61 percent of respondents saying the state is in decline.
The previous record was set in June and September 2005, when 53 percent of respondents reported they did not like the direction the state was heading.
Alfredo Trejo, a junior kinesiology major, said there is a strong connection between the approval rating of Schwarzenegger and Californians who believe the state is going in the wrong direction.
"The economy's not doing well, schools are closing down, and (the state government) wants to raise taxes," he said. "People don't approve of what 'the Governator' is doing because he hasn't done much since he got into office - so how can we trust somebody that is pretty much letting us go downhill?"
Jackson said that part of the blame should be placed on the rift between republican and democrat legislators in Sacramento.
According to the survey, released in late April, 32 percent of Californians approve of the job the governor has done.
This nearly ties the current governor's record low of 31 percent, when the institute released their results in September 2005.
Out of the 51 percent who disapproved of the governor, 52 percent identified themselves as democrats, and 37 percent as republicans.
Survey and Policy Research Institute has been conducting surveys since 2002 and research director Melinda Jackson said the institute has been much more active in the last five months, because of some reorganization that took place last summer.
She said she hopes these surveys can be conducted every semester, because they benefit both students and staff.
"The idea is that it is an opportunity for students who are taking research methods classes to work on a survey," she said. "It also gives faculty members an opportunity to place questions on a survey."
Pessimism about the direction of the state has reached a record low, according to the survey, with 61 percent of respondents saying the state is in decline.
The previous record was set in June and September 2005, when 53 percent of respondents reported they did not like the direction the state was heading.
Alfredo Trejo, a junior kinesiology major, said there is a strong connection between the approval rating of Schwarzenegger and Californians who believe the state is going in the wrong direction.
"The economy's not doing well, schools are closing down, and (the state government) wants to raise taxes," he said. "People don't approve of what 'the Governator' is doing because he hasn't done much since he got into office - so how can we trust somebody that is pretty much letting us go downhill?"
Jackson said that part of the blame should be placed on the rift between republican and democrat legislators in Sacramento.
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