CONCORD, N.H. - A new poll finds that Governor John Lynch enjoys continued popularity among both Republicans and Democrats.
The WMUR Granite State Poll found 65 percent of respondents approve of the way the Democrat is doing his job, 23 percent disapprove, and 12 percent are neutral or do not know.
Eighty-two percent of Democrats approve of the job he is doing, while 54 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republicans approved.
The poll also found the four-term governor has high favorability ratings. Sixty-six percent of respondents said they have a favorable opinion of Lynch, 19 percent had an unfavorable opinion, 10 percent are neutral or do not know, and 5 percent said they did not know enough about him to say.
Lynch’s net favorability rating - the percentage who like him minus the percentage who do not - is also high, at 47 percent.
Those interviewed said the state’s economy and unemployment were the most important problems facing the state. Thirty-four percent said those were the top problems, followed by 18 percent who said the state budget was the most important issue.
Six percent said the newly elected Legislature was their main concern; 6 percent said high taxes; and 4 percent said health care. Three percent said quality education was the top concern; 1 percent gave the cost of gas or oil; and 1 percent said education funding.
The poll found that a majority, 61 percent, feel that New Hampshire is headed in the right direction, compared with 32 percent who believe the state is not and 7 percent who do not know.
The poll of 516 randomly selected adults, conducted by the UNH Survey Center June 21-July 1, had a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
