Poll: Governor Hutchinson’s job approval 52-24%

Gov. Asa Hutchinson enjoys more than a two-to-one job approval rating, according to a new survey.

In the latest Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College poll of 463 likely Arkansas voters, Hutchinson has a 52% approval rating on his job performance compared to just 24% who disapprove.

Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the job Governor Asa Hutchinson is doing?

52% Approve
24% Disapprove
24% Don’t Know

“It is clear from these results that Gov. Hutchinson has political capital to spend with Arkansas voters,” said Talk Business & Politics CEO Roby Brock. “Where and how he chooses to use it will likely determine the success of his budget and legislative agenda.”

ANALYSIS
Dr. Jay Barth, professor of political science at Hendrix College, helped craft and analyze the latest poll. He offered this analysis of the poll results:

Nearly two years into his governorship, nearly a quarter of Arkansas voters remain unclear on their views of the job performance of Governor Asa Hutchinson. Among those with a view on the governor, however, he is in quite solid shape with a plurality of all demographic, geographic, and partisan groups holding a plurality (and in most cases, majority) positive view of his performance to date.

This continues a trend across the past decade (over the Beebe and Hutchinson eras) during which Arkansas has had noncontroversial —and, indeed, quite popular — governors. Little difference is shown in Hutchinson’s approval across age or education groups or between women and men. While Hutchinson’s support is softer with secular voters (46% approval), religiosity is also not a major driver of support for the governor.

The major news of the survey is Hutchinson’s strong approval among African-Americans (61% approval), exceptional for a Republican. Hutchinson shows solidly positive job approval numbers across all geographic sections of the state.

Finally, a plurality of Democrats approve of Hutchinson’s job performance (48%), another positive sign for the Republican governor who, less surprisingly, is viewed positively by a healthy majority of Republicans.

METHODOLOGY
This survey was conducted on October 21, 2016. The poll, which has a margin of error of +/-4.6%, was completed using IVR survey technology among 463 Arkansas likely voters statewide.

All media outlets are welcome to reprint, reproduce, or rebroadcast information from this poll with proper attribution to Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College.

For interviews, contact Talk Business & Politics Roby Brock by email at [email protected] or Dr. Jay Barth by email at [email protected].