Hofstra Happenings: National Suburban Poll Finds Support for Obama Erodes in the Suburbs, Particularly Among Minorities

In October 2010, prior to the midterm elections, a poll by The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University® (NCSS) found that half of suburban Americans were disapproving of President Obama’s job performance, and a majority of independent swing voters in the suburbs were favoring Republicans. The poll’s findings were reflected in the election results.

The poll found that 48 percent of suburbanites gave Mr. Obama a negative job approval rating, up 8 percent over 2009. Only 43 percent were approving of his work. Even more surprising was the finding that minority suburbanites’ dissatisfaction with the president had nearly tripled over the past year: 26 percent disapproved of his job performance this year, compared to just 9 percent in 2009.

With less than a month before the midterm elections that eventually lost the Democrats’ control of Congress, the results of the fourth National Suburban Poll highlighted the unpredictability of the political climate. “For decades, as the suburbs gained in demographic and political power, the party that has won in suburbia has controlled Congress and the White House,” said Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the NCSS.

Posted in: HappeningsWinter2011,Hofstra Happenings,National Center for Suburban Studies,National Suburban Poll