New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Local Businesses and Free Enterprise Supported by Voters
Education is Currently the Top Policy Priority for Florida Voters
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 23, 2023) – The latest Florida Chamber statewide poll finds more than 9 out of 10 (92%) of Florida voters have a favorable opinion of local businesses, which are the foundation of our economy, and 80% of voters have a favorable opinion of free enterprise.
More than half of likely Florida voters believe Florida is headed in the right direction (51:42), while at the same time a majority of Florida voters (65:23), nearly 2/3 believe America is on the wrong track.
In addition, voters in eight of Florida’s 10 media markets believe Florida is headed in the right direction, with only two believing otherwise: the Gainesville (36:57) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (40:51) markets.
“Florida’s local businesses are seen as the lifeblood of our communities and are an essential fabric of our economy,” said Mark Wilson, President & CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. “Our poll shows Florida voters have high confidence in local businesses and in free enterprise and believe they are a key reason for Florida’s thriving economy. With the 2023 Legislative Session less than two weeks away, we are uniting Florida’s business community to make sure the right things keep happening in Florida as we work to grow from the 16th to the 10th largest global economy by 2030.”
Top Issues for Florida Voters: Florida Likely Voters Believe
Top Issues Facing Florida
- Education
- Immigration
- Jobs & the Economy
Top Issues by Demographic
- Black Voters Top Issue is Education
- Hispanic Voters Top Issue is Education
- Female Voters Top Issue is Education
- Male Voters Top Issue is Immigration
- Republicans Top Issue is Immigration
- Democrats Top Issue is Education
- NPAs Top Issue is Education
Job Approval Numbers: Governor DeSantis and President Joe Biden
The Florida Chamber poll also found that Governor Ron DeSantis has high job approval numbers, while President Joe Biden’s job approval numbers have further plummeted.
More than half of voters (55%) approve of the job Ron DeSantis is doing as Governor, with 81% of Republicans and 59% of NPAs approving of his job as Governor. The Governor also enjoys strong approval rates amongst Hispanic voters with 51% approving of his performance and 46% disapproving.
President Joe Biden’s numbers paint a different picture, with 56% of Florida voters disapproving of the job he is doing as President. Almost all Republicans (87%) and 55% of NPAs disapprove of President Biden’s performance as President. The President has an approval rating of 41% among Hispanic voters, with 55% disapproving of his performance.
Hypothetical Presidential Head-to-Head
The Florida Chamber poll also found that Governor Ron DeSantis would be in a strong position should he run for President. He holds a solid lead over President Joe Biden.
Governor DeSantis enjoys an 11% lead (49%-38%) over President Joe Biden, benefiting from 85% support from Republicans and 54% support from NPAs (Biden earns 39% support from NPAs).
Governor DeSantis enjoys a 2% lead among women (47%-45%) and a 11% lead among Hispanics (52%-41%).
By The Numbers: Florida Voter Registration Update
Republicans continued to expand their registration lead over Democrats. As of the most recent Florida update, Republicans hold a statewide advantage of 416,896 voters over Democrats among active registered voters, 5,299,244 Republicans to 4,882,348 Democrats, with NPA and other party registrants comprising almost 30% of all active voters at 4,288,403. The Republican registration advantage continues to grow by roughly 30,000 voters per month. Over the last two years, the net registration gap between Republicans and Democrats in Florida has swung more than 500,000 voters in Republicans’ favor.
Since the 2020 General election, voter data from ChamberHub, the Florida Chamber’s exclusive voter file, also shows:
- Democrat’s share of active registered voters has declined in every county in Florida
- Republican share of active registration has increased in 56 of 67 counties
- NPA registration share has increased in all of Florida’s 67 counties
Recruiting and Electing Better Candidates: Florida Chamber Voter Education and Recruiting Initiatives
The Florida Chamber leads initiatives including the Florida Free Enterprise Fund, Florida Chamber Political Institute and the Florida Institute for Political Leadership, which all work to together to ensure we’re recruiting better candidates for Florida and helping these pro-jobs and free enterprise leaders get elected. For more information and to get engaged in these initiatives, contact the Florida Chamber’s Executive Vice President of Governmental & Political Relations Frank Walker at fwalker@flchamber.com.
ABOUT THIS POLL: The Florida Chamber of Commerce political poll was conducted on February 10 – 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 245 Democrats, 256 Republicans and 107 Others for a total of 608 respondents statewide.
