6th Annual New Hampshire State of the State Poll on Politics

Nelson A. Rockefeller Center Completes 6th Annual

New Hampshire State of the State Poll

On Politics, Economic Issues, and Social Policies.

Over three-quarters of voters support universal background checks for firearms sales. Voters' views of New Hampshire economy and personal economic future improve. Senator Ayotte unfavorable rating increases by seven percent.

NH voters prioritize building the economy and improving education.

In 2014 U.S. Senate match-ups, Jeanne Shaheen leads Jeb Bradley (47.9% to 25.2%) and Scott Brown (44.2% to 29.5%).

In 2016 presidential match-ups, Hillary Clinton leads Chris Christie (37.1% to 32.3%) and Marco Rubio (44.3% to 33.2%).

HANOVER, NH—The Rockefeller Center’s sixth annual State of the State Poll surveyed a sample of New Hampshire registered voters (N=433) to ascertain their opinions on policy issues, elected officials, and the state of the economy in New Hampshire and in the United States. The sample error rate is +/- 4.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval. Sample demographics and polling methodology are summarized at the end of this report.
The poll indicates that voters have perceived an improvement in the national economy since last year. Respondents rating the economy as “excellent,” “good,” or “fair” have increased from 53.9 percent last year to 62.3 percent this year. Respondents expressing economic optimism has also increased over last year, although not as significantly as the increase from 2011 to 2012. Respondents who would prefer that state legislators focus primarily on building a strong economy or reducing the property tax burden on residents both fell slightly as the number who wanted the legislature to focus on balancing the state budget or improving education increased. Most respondents continued to believe that the federal deficit should be resolved with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. President Obama’s job approval rating has increased from 39.2 percent to 44.8 percent over the same period.