NORFOLK, Va. — Over seven months after taking office, more Virginians approve of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin than disapprove, according to a new poll released by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Tuesday.
The Commonwealth Poll was conducted by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU from June 29 to July 9, asking about 800 adult Virginians what they think of Youngkin and his economic policies. It has a 5.81% margin of error.
The survey found that Youngkin has a 49% approval rating and 38% disapproval rating. Along with the nod for the Republican governor, a majority of people surveyed support his economic policies.
What did the poll find?
58% of Virginians support the elimination of the state motor vehicle fuels tax, also known as the gas tax, for a three-month period. Although the support for its elimination was higher than opposition regardless of political party, Republicans (69%) and Independents (58%) were more likely to support it than Democrats (49%).
The gas tax elimination was particularly popular among Black respondents, with 76% supporting its elimination.
Seven out of 10 Virginians support the elimination of the state portion of the grocery tax in Virginia. Although support is high regardless of party identification, Democrats (60%) were slightly less likely to support the measure compared to Republicans (79%) and Independents (76%).
People living in Northwestern (87%) and Western Virginia (80%) had the highest likelihood of supporting the grocery tax elimination.
Virginians surveyed were evenly split on what to do with the state's surplus tax revenue. 47% prefer the surplus be used for government programs such as welfare programs or state-funded clean energy projects, while 42% prefer the surplus be used to give every Virginia taxpayer a one-time $250 rebate.
Support for each option differed by political party identification and race, according to a VCU analysis. The majority of Democrats and Independents preferred the option to use surplus for government programs (68% and 50%, respectively), while 62% of Republicans favor the $250 rebate option.
Black respondents favor the $250 rebate (54%), whereas white respondents prefer the use of surplus towards government programs (48%).
When it comes to the establishment of college partnership laboratory schools in Virginia, 56% of Virginians surveyed supported it. Those schools would be privately run and publicly funded to allow for innovation in teaching methods and instruction.
79% of Virginians support efforts to fund historically Black colleges and universities.
Despite high support among all political parties, Democrats were much more likely to support these efforts with 94% supporting compared to 69% of Republicans; 80% of Independents also supported the efforts. Black respondents also had a higher likelihood of supporting than their white counterparts (96% versus 78%, respectively).
“The responses in the poll suggest what I have always stated: The people are always ahead of the leaders,” L. Douglas Wilder, the Democratic 66th Governor of Virginia, said in a news release. “The grocery tax proposal is very receptive; gas tax suspension and/or stipend is greeted positively, which can be viewed as a direct response to rising inflation."
"The poll demonstrates that Virginians support the governor's leadership and his efforts to lower the cost of living, restore academic excellence, ensure safe communities, his push to suspend the gas tax, his establishment of college partnership lab schools in Virginia, and his support for HBCUs," Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said. "Virginians gave Governor Youngkin the license to lead, he is delivering on his promises, and Virginians are happy with the results."
