New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Florida Voters Say Florida’s Economy is Better Off than Other States
However, Poll Shows President Joe Biden Viewed Negatively by Florida Voters, Who Don’t Believe He Deserves Re-Election
The latest Florida Chamber statewide poll finds more than half (53%) of Florida voters believe the Florida economy is better off than other states while only 24% believe it is worse off than other states.
Florida has created 44,500 jobs in the last month and 300,600 jobs in the past year. The Sunshine State’s rolling annual growth rate of 3.2% is a full percentage point higher than the national level and July’s 0.5% increase in jobs was 5 times the growth at the national level. Looking back over the last year, Florida created 1 in 12 U.S. jobs, while similarly sized New York created only 1 in 27 jobs. The unemployment rate in Florida at 2.7% is lower than other large states (the unemployment rate in California is at 4.6%, Texas is at 4.1% and New York is at 3.9%).
“Florida’s economic momentum continues to outpace the nation,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis and legislative leaders like House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, recent legislative action reining in runaway litigation that drives up costs for Florida families and local businesses will pave the way for more competition and Florida’s continued growth.”
Job Approval Numbers
The Florida Chamber poll also found that Governor Ron DeSantis has solid job approval numbers, while President Joe Biden’s job approval numbers have plummeted.
More than half of voters (51%) approve of the job Ron DeSantis is doing as Governor, with 85% of Republicans and 59% of NPAs approving of his job as Governor. The Governor also has strong approval amongst Hispanic voters with 55% approving of his performance and 45% disapproving.
President Joe Biden’s numbers are quite the opposite, with 56% of voters disapproving of the job he is doing as President. Almost all Republicans (89%) and nearly 2/3 of NPAs (65%) disapprove of President Biden’s performance as President. The President has an approval rating of only 37% among Hispanic voters, with 62% disapproving of his performance.
COVID-19 Strategy in Florida
Recently there has been renewed discussion around the policies various states enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Chamber poll found that Florida voters overwhelming believe the COVID response in Florida was much better than in other states such as California. More than 6 out of 10 (61%) of voters believe the Florida model, which reopened earlier than most states, got the COVID response right, while only 30% believe states like California got it right.
More than 9 out of 10 (91%) of Republicans and almost 7 out of 10 (68%) of NPAs believe Florida handled the COVID reopening best, while more than 6 out of 10 (62%) of Democrats believe states like California got it right.
President Joe Biden’s Economic Policies Are Not Viewed Favorably
The Florida Chamber poll shows more than half (51%) of Florida voters believe President Joe Biden’s economic policies have made America’s economy worse, while only 34% believe President Biden’s economic policies have made it better.
Almost 9 out of 10 (86%) of Republicans believe President Biden’s economic policies have made America’s economy worse, while only 24% of NPAs and 31% of Hispanics believe President Biden’s economic policies have made America’s economy better.
Florida Voters Do Not Believe President Joe Biden Deserves Re-Election
The Florida Chamber poll also found more than 6 out of 10 (62%) of Florida voters believe President Joe Biden does not deserve to be re-elected President.
Almost 7 out of 10 (69%) of Hispanics, 70% of NPAs and even 26% of Democrats do not believe President Biden deserves to be re-elected President.
Florida Likely Voters Believe:
Top Issues Facing Florida
- Education
- Property Insurance
- Jobs & the Economy
Top Issues by Demographic
- Female Voters Top Issue is Education
- Male Voters Top Issue is Property Insurance
- Republicans Top Issue is Jobs and the Economy
- Democrats Top Issue is Education
- NPAs Top Issue is Education
Florida Voter Registration Update
Republicans have continued to expand their registration lead over Democrats. Since our last poll, the Republican voter registration lead has surpassed the half million mark even though Democrats held an outright voter registration advantage less than two years ago (October 2021). As of July 31, 2023, Republicans hold a statewide advantage of 567,964 voters over Democrats amongst all voters, a lead of more than 4%. Statewide across Florida there are 5,243,938 Republicans to 4,675,974 Democrats, with NPA and other party registrants comprising almost 30% of all active voters at 4,154,023. The Republican registration advantage continues to grow by more than 20,000 voters per month.
Florida Chamber Voter Education and Recruiting Initiatives
The Florida Chamber leads the business community’s efforts to recruit and elect better candidates through the Florida Free Enterprise Fund, Florida Chamber Political Institute and the Florida Institute for Political Leadership. For more information about these initiatives, contact the Florida Chamber’s Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations Frank Walker at fwalker@flchamber.com.
ABOUT THIS POLL: The Florida Chamber of Commerce political poll was conducted on August 9 – 19, 2023 by Cherry Communications during live telephone interviews of likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. The sample size included 243 Democrats, 263 Republicans and 98 Others for a total of 604 respondents statewide.
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