Poll Shows Many New Yorkers Plan Shows of Protest
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Some 11% of New Yorkers polled said they planned to take part in one of the roster of protests scheduled during the Republican National Convention that runs August 30 to September 2.
Another 10% plan to leave town, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. Thirty-one percent said a terrorist attack is “very likely” or “somewhat likely.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg’s pledge that the convention will have little effect on daily life in the city hasn’t convinced the average New Yorker.
The poll found that 66% of those surveyed think the Grand Old Party gathering and the protesters it will attract will “cause a major disruption to the routine business of the city.”
Opinions were divided over whether the convention will be a boon for the city. Thirty percent said it would be a positive; 33% said it would be negative, and 33% said it won’t make a difference.
“New Yorkers aren’t very excited about a Republican convention in this Democratic bastion,” said the director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, Maurice Carroll.
Mr. Bloomberg has been saying for months that the convention would bring business into the city during the dog days of summer, funneling visiting delegates and reporters into the city’s restaurants and hotels.
“I think the city will go along fine,” Mr Bloomberg told reporters at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where the Ohio, Tennessee, and California delegations will stay. “There are going to be some minor disruptions. But the city is so big if you are not in the immediate area of Madison Square Garden, you are not going to know that the convention is here.”
Mr. Bloomberg’s approval rating, which had climbed out of the basement in recent months, dipped slightly in August, according to the poll. The survey shows he has a 44% to 42% positive approval rating. Last month, Bloomberg had a 49% to 39% edge.
The poll found that by a 70% to 25% margin, New York City voters do not approve of President Bush’s performance.
The poll surveyed 822 New York City registered voters between August 20 and August 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
