NU Online News Service, Sept. 12, 12:21 p.m. EDT

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's handling of Hurricane Irene has boosted his overall approval rating to 54 percent, up from 45 percent on July 27, according to a survey released today by Quinnipiac University.

The approval was the highest since the Christmas blizzard, the survey finds.

Of those surveyed, 54 percent approved while 35 percent disapproved, compared with a 45 percent approval rating and a 43 percent disapproval rating on July 27.

New York City voters approve 86-10 percent of Bloomberg's handling of preparations for Irene with support equally strong in all boroughs, the survey finds.

From Sept. 1-6, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,282 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

“The critics cried 'overkill!' But most people agreed with the mayor, 'better safe than sorry.' Overwhelmingly, Bloomberg's handling of Irene gets high marks,” says Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute says in a statement.

Democrats approve 57-31 percent, while Republican approval was 55-39 percent. Independent voter rating was 51-40 percent. Bloomberg's score ranges from a negative 39-56 percent in Staten Island to a high of 64-24 percent in Manhattan.

Voters also approve 90-8 percent of the mayor's decision to order evacuations in advance of Hurricane Irene with support strong in all groups. Voters in neighborhoods under the evacuation order approve on it 84-15 percent, according to the survey.

Of those surveyed, 52-39 percent say they like the mayor's policies in general, versus 49-45 percent in July.

The survey also found that New Yorkers are less skeptical about promised deadlines for completion of key Lower Manhattan projects, the poll finds:

42 percent believe One World Trade Center will be complete by December 2013, compared to 25 percent in August 2009.
46 percent believe the World Trade Center Transit Hub will be ready by June 2014, compared to 41 percent two years ago.
36 percent say the pace of development makes them proud to be a New Yorker, up from 18 percent two years ago.

The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and the nation as a public service and for research.

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Irene Boosts Bloomberg&rsquo;s Approval, Study Finds

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