Gov. Moore's Solid Job Approval Rating At 53%: Goucher College Poll

BALTIMORE, MD — In the first Goucher College Poll released since he took office, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was given high marks by a majority of his constituents, and seen as meeting expectations. The poll also showed residents want him to focus on reducing crime and improving schools.

The Goucher College Poll was conducted from April 18 to 23, 2022. It surveyed 800 Maryland residents and has a margin of error of 3.5 percent. Residents were asked their opinions on Gov. Wes Moore, President Joe Biden, and the Maryland General Assembly; the direction and the economic conditions of the state; current and expected cannabis use; and transportation preferences.

The poll was funded and co-sponsored by the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College and The Baltimore Banner.

Governor Wes Moore

Gov. Wes Moore earns a solid job approval rating nearly five months into his first term. Fifty-three percent of Marylanders approve of the job he is doing as governor, 26 percent disapprove, and 20 percent say they don’t know.

Fifty-seven percent of Marylanders indicate that Moore is doing the job as governor “about as well” as they expected. Seventeen percent think he is doing better than expected while 14 percent think he is doing worse.

Marylanders were also asked about a set of broad policy goals. The following represents the percent who say it’s “extremely” or “very” important that Gov. Wes Moore make progress toward that goal during his first term:

Reducing crime: 83 percent
Among Democrats: 81 percent
Among Republicans: 89 percent
Among Independents: 82 percent

Improving public schools: 83 percent
Among Democrats: 88 percent
Among Republicans: 74 percent
Among Independents: 81 percent

Improving the economy and jobs: 79 percent
Among Democrats: 79 percent
Among Republicans: 81 percent
Among Independents: 79 percent

Eliminating childhood poverty: 77 percent
Among Democrats: 87 percent
Among Republicans: 61 percent
Among Independents: 76 percent

Addressing racial equity issues: 60 percent
Among Democrats: 81 percent
Among Republicans: 29 percent
Among Independents: 48 percent

Improving public transportation: 48 percent
Among Democrats: 63 percent
Among Republicans: 27 percent
Among Independents: 42 percent

Expanding renewable energy like offshore wind: 41 percent
Among Democrats: 59 percent
Among Republicans: 15 percent
Among Independents: 33 percent

Residents were also asked to broadly label Moore’s politics: Four percent say Moore is “very conservative” or “conservative,” 25 percent say he is “moderate,” 38 percent say he is "progressive," and 20 percent say he is “very progressive.” In October 2022, the Goucher College Poll found that 22 percent of Maryland likely voters viewed Moore as a “moderate” and 36 percent viewed him as a “progressive.”

“Wes Moore is on solid footing with the public after his first legislative session as governor of Maryland,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College. “The numbers reflect a ‘what you voted for is what you got’ attitude: Like they did before the election, the public still views Moore as holding a mix of progressive and moderate political positions, and they broadly believe that he is doing the job as governor ‘about as well’ as they expected.”

Legalized Recreational Cannabis

Voters supported a ballot referendum to legalize recreational cannabis for individuals aged 21 and older by a wide margin this past November. Previous polls on the issues have consistently found widespread support for legalization.

Residents were asked about their current and expected cannabis consumption habits.

Seventy-six percent of Marylanders say during a “typical” month they “never” use cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes. Twenty-three percent indicate they use cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes at least once a month.

Poll results suggest that the legalization of recreational cannabis will potentially have a modest effect on cannabis use: Sixteen percent say that they will be more likely to use cannabis for recreational purposes now that it is legal, but 76 percent say that the change in the law makes no difference to them.

Statewide Perceptions: Direction, Economy, Transportation, and the Maryland General Assembly

Attitudes toward the direction of the state and the state economy are effectively unchanged since September 2022.

Forty-seven percent of residents say Maryland is heading in the right direction, and 42 percent say Maryland is off on the wrong track. In September 2022, 45 percent of residents said that Maryland was heading in the right direction, and 39 percent said Maryland was off on the wrong track.

Like findings from the September 2022 poll, residents remain divided in their perceptions of the Maryland economy: Forty-seven percent held a mostly positive view of the current economic situation in Maryland; 46 percent hold a mostly negative view.

When asked to give their preference on where the government should focus its spending regarding transportation, 51 percent of residents indicate the state government should focus more on improving roads and highways and 29 percent say the focus should be on improving public transportation. For comparison, in February 2017, 59 percent of residents wanted the state government to focus more on improving roads and highways and 35 percent thought the focus should be on improving public transportation.

Almost half of Maryland residents (48 percent) approve of the job the Maryland General Assembly is doing, 35 percent disapprove, and 16 percent say they don’t know.

Job Approval Rating: President Joe Biden

Forty-six percent of Marylanders approve of the job President Biden is doing as president, 49 percent disapprove, and 4 percent say they don’t know. Marylanders held similar attitudes toward Biden in September 2022: Forty-eight percent approved of the job he’s doing as president and 48 percent disapproved.

Download the complete poll results, including methodology and question design. To view archived polls, visit www.goucher.edu/poll.

About the Goucher College Poll

The Goucher College Poll is conducted under the auspices of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College. The center is directed by Dr. Mileah Kromer, associate professor of political science.

The Goucher College Poll is funded by the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics endowment and partnerships with trusted media organizations. The mission of the Goucher College Poll is to improve public discourse in Maryland by providing neutral, unbiased, and independent information on resident perceptions and opinions. The data collected by the poll are used to support faculty and student research.

The Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics is a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations and the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.