ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 11, 1992                   TAG: 9201110213
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: From wire reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WILDER RATINGS AT ALL-TIME LOW

Gov. Douglas Wilder's approval rating dropped to an all-time low in a poll finished just before he announced Wednesday he was quitting the presidential campaign.

Only 22 percent of Virginians answering the survey rated Wilder "excellent" or "good," whereas 51 percent rated his performance as "poor."

Public reaction following Wilder's withdrawal from the presidential race has been largely favorable, however, and his numbers might be expected to improve. Most poll respondents agreed with Wilder's main policies as governor.

The telephone poll of 821 registered voters was conducted Monday through Wednesday by Mason-Dixon Opinion Research Inc. of Columbia, Md. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Wilder's rating was down from an already-low 30 percent "good" or "excellent" rating in a Mason-Dixon poll in November.

Voters gave higher ratings to the job done by state government under Wilder. Sixty-three percent of respondents said the state's problems are "serious, but under control." Thirty-three percent said Virginia was facing a "major crisis."

The voters also agreed with Wilder's refusal to levy new taxes. Respondents were evenly split on the question of whether the sales tax should be increased a half-cent. But 65 percent said they would oppose increasing the income tax, while 24 percent said they favor an increase.

Overall, 48 percent said Virginia should balance its budget by cutting spending, which Wilder has generally done. Only 5 percent said the solution would be to raise taxes. A mixture of spending curbs and tax increases was favored by 41 percent.

Wilder received "excellent" or "good" ratings from 14 percent of white voters surveyed, whereas 60 percent rated him "poor." Twenty-six percent said his job performance was "fair." That contrasts with answers from blacks, 59 percent of whom gave him positive marks and only 5 percent of whom rated him "poor."

In the same poll, President Bush's support among Virginians sank by 21 percentage points from September to January - 77 to 56. 

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.
by Archana Subramaniam by CNB