Roanoke College Survey: Virginia Gov. Youngkin Approval at 50 Percent, Disapproval at 41 Percent

A new survey finds Governor Glenn Youngkin with a 50 percent approval rating and a 41 percent disapproval rating. Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) survey also found that 47 percent of Virginians think the Commonwealth is headed in the right direction, and 47 percent think things are going in the wrong direction.

“This is consistent with his winning margin in November. This poll shows that Governor Youngkin’s initiatives have received bipartisan support. The governor will continue to hear directly from Virginians and is focused on delivering on his promises,” Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said in a statement.

The survey was conducted from February 7 through February 16 and includes responses from 605 adult Virginia residents. The survey has a 4.8 percent margin of error.

Many respondents were uncertain about the other members of the administration.

“Winsome Sears holds a 30 percent favorable and 33 percent unfavorable rating, with 35 percent of respondents not knowing enough about her to have formed an opinion. Attorney General Jason Miyares has a 24 percent favorable and 34 percent unfavorable rating, with 41 percent of respondents not being able to form an opinion at the current time,” the IPOR release states.

President Biden earned a 41 percent approval rating with 53 percent disapproval.

IPOR also asked about COVID-19 policy and Youngkin’s related executive actions.

Yes, Every Kid

46 percent of Virginians agree with Youngkin’s executive order ending school mask mandates, while 52 percent disagree.

Additionally, IPOR reports, “We asked respondents whether school districts or the Commonwealth should be setting mask mandates. About 56 percent of Virginians say that ‘local school districts should set mask requirements for themselves’ as opposed to 37 percent saying ‘Gov. Youngkin and the state government should set mask requirements for local school districts.’ Preference for local school districts setting mandates was among the lowest partisan divide in our poll, with 45 percent of Republicans and 61 percent of Democrats preferring school district choice.”

IPOR Director Dr. David Taylor said in the release, “Opinions regarding elected officials are also not a surprise, as a drop in President Biden’s job approval and favorability rating mirrors ratings at the national level, and relative newcomers to statewide prominence, Lt. Gov. Sears and Attorney General Miyares, have yet to reach a good proportion of Virginians.”

There is some worry among Virginians about the direction of the Commonwealth, as fewer residents feel that our state is heading in the right direction,” Taylor said. “While Youngkin maintains a 50 percent job approval rating and 51 percent approval of his pandemic handling, a slight majority disapproves of his executive actions that removed mask mandates in schools. By an almost 20-point margin, Virginians believe the authority to set mask mandates should be left with the school districts themselves and not with the Governor’s office or state.”

Two weeks ago, Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center found a slight disapproval rating for Youngkin. Dwayne Yancey, who is editor of Cardinal News, noted in an opinion piece that the Wason Center poll found more liberal voters than the IPOR survey, but also noted that Biden got nearly the same approval rating in both polls.

He wrote, “So, if you think the Wason Center poll is off on Youngkin because it’s universe is too liberal, why does it show same numbers as the Roanoke College poll on Biden?”

Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert’s (R-Shenandoah) spokesperson Garren Shipley emphasized the new survey on social media and in an email to the press.

“Many in the press were excited to get the first public polling since Inauguration Day, the poll from CNU’s Wason Center, and I wanted to be absolutely sure this new poll from Roanoke College didn’t slip past your inbox. I’ve included the first part of the press release below,” Shipley wrote. “I’d note that while this poll shows Governor Youngkin with a 50 percent approval rate, it concurs with CNU in finding President Biden remains deeply unpopular.”

The Virginia Star’s Publisher John Fredericks said, “This poll, which cross tabs show a reasonably fair assessment, once again ratifies my position that the CNU/Wason Center poll is nothing more than a corrupt, Democrat shill.”

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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Smash the Iron Cage. CC BY-SA 4.0.

 

 

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