Thread: NBC News poll: 56% of Tennesseans approve of Trump's job performance

NBC News poll: 56% of Tennesseans approve of Trump's job performance

Natalie Allison, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 4:02 a.m. CT April 12, 2018 | Updated 6:06 a.m. CT April 12,

The majority of Tennesseans approve of the job performance of both President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled state legislature, according to results of a poll released Thursday by NBC News and SurveyMonkey.

The set of six polls focused on attitudes among residents in Southern states leading up to the 2018 midterms, though it wasn't conducted specifically on registered voters.

In addition to SurveyMonkey, which selected a sample of regional users to take the poll, NBC News also partnered with the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, Vanderbilt University, the University of Mississippi and Mississippi Today to develop it.

Here's what the poll found.

Trump's approval rating higher in the South

A majority of adults in Tennessee (56 percent) approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. That compares with 57 percent in Mississippi, 55 percent in Alabama and 49 percent in Georgia.

Among all Americans, 43 percent approve of his job performance, while 55 percent disapprove.

Among Southern states, Tennessee legislature approval soars

The majority of adults in Tennessee also approve of how the state legislature is doing. In the Volunteer State, that's 58 percent, while of their respective state legislatures, 53 percent approve in Alabama, 57 percent in Georgia and 56 percent in Mississippi.

Republicans control both houses in each of those states' legislatures.

Half of Tennesseans would vote Republican if midterms held today

If the 2018 midterms were held today — or last month, rather, when the poll was conducted — half of the adults in Tennessee would vote for Republican candidates. The same goes for residents in Alabama and Mississippi.

In Tennessee, 33 percent of adults say they would vote for a Democratic candidate in that midterm, while 36 percent would do so in Mississippi and 32 percent in Alabama.

The South, specifically Tennessee, optimistic about economy

Compared to 61 percent nationally, 71 percent of Tennesseans rate their state economy as good. In Georgia, 74 percent rated the state economy as such, and 61 percent did so in Alabama.

In Mississippi, however, 49 percent of respondents rated the state's economy as bad aginst 47 percent rating it as good.
Tennessee rates state infrastructure poorly

Tennesseans' view of state infrastructure is less rosy.

Based on the poll, 53 percent of adults believe the Tennessee state government is doing a poor job at maintaining roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

A majority (55 percent) of Georgia residents, on the other hand, believe their state is doing well at maintaining infrastructure.

Tennesseans willing to pay higher taxes to improve infrastructure, public schools

The poll found that Tennessee residents are willing to pay more in taxes to improve lacking infrastructure. While 55 percent of Americans are willing to pay more to improve infrastructure, 58 percent in Tennessee said the same.

When it comes to education, 59 percent of Tennesseans said they would pay higher taxes to improve public schools in the state.

Majority in Tennessee favors chance for undocumented immigrants to receive legal status

While 70 percent of Americans think most undocumented workers in the United States should receive a chance to apply for legal status, that number in Tennessee is 61 percent.

In Alabama, 60 percent of residents say undocumented immigrants should have a chance at legal status, while 67 percent say so in Georgia and 63 percent in Mississippi.

Tennessee split on same-sex marriage

Just under half of Tennesseans — 49 percent — are opposed to same-sex marriage, while 47 percent in the state support it.

That compares to 51 percent of Georgians supporting same-sex marriage and 45 percent there opposing it, while 52 percent oppose and 42 percent support it in Alabama.

More: Same-sex marriage ban divides Middle Tennessee Episcopalians

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/new...ion/509464002/

This is for you, GeorgiaPeach!

Thank you Judy.

I don't like the results about the "undocumented." Whether true or not, too many republicans in the legislature are trying to pass in state tuition for illegal aliens every year.

Yeah, I saw that, but you know just because someone says they support it, doesn't always mean they do. It's like they don't want to sound mean, so say one thing, when deep down they believe we should enforce the law. But, no doubt about it, as wonderful as Tennessee is, you do have quite a few open borders people, that's why you always have to work so hard to fight in-state tuition and some other things the legislature almost passes to support illegal aliens.

Wake Up Tennessee!! You have lots of poor Americans who need jobs and lower taxes, and they don't want to pay their hard earned money educating and taking care of illegal aliens let alone let them steal their jobs or deflate their wages.

DACA and illegal aliens are FOREIGN STUDENTS

What tuition rates do Foreign Students pay here?

Do they qualify for US bank loans? I hope not.

Or do they get their loans from their country.

We have over One Trillion in student loan debt!

DACA should not qualify for ANY bank loans. If they are deported how do they pay the money back!