This Washington Post-University of Maryland poll was conducted by telephone March 1619, 2017, among a random sample of 914 residents of Maryland. Interviews were
conducted by live interviewers on both conventional and cellular phones. The results
from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage
points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI, Inc of New York, NY.
(Full methodological details and sampling error margins for subgroups appended at the
end.)
RV=Registered voters

LV=Likely voters

*= less than 0.5 percent

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Larry Hogan is handling his job as governor
of Maryland?
-------- Approve -------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
65
27
38
71
34
36
66
30
36
61
28
33
42
18
24

3/19/17
9/30/16
4/3/16
10/11/15
2/8/15

------- Disapprove -----NET
Somewhat
Strongly
17
11
6
18
11
7
19
11
8
22
13
9
24
14
10

No
op
18
11
15
18
34

48
39
41
41
36
36
33
34
37
36

11
7
10
9
9
9
11
12
10
11

Compare to:
Martin O’Malley
10/5/14 RV
41
2/16/14
55
2/24/13
49
10/15/12 RV
49
1/26/12
55
10/22/10 RV*
55
9/26/10
57
5/6/10
54
10/20/08 RV
53
10/22/07
53
*“Regardless of how you

14
21
16
18
16
21
20
17
14
12
may vote…”

27
33
33
31
39
34
37
37
39
40

14
12
13
14
15
15
16
17
16
18

34
27
28
28
21
21
17
17
21
19

30
21
21

25
36
42

42
41
28

19
21
17

23
20
11

3
3
10

9
16
14

29
38
41

58
40
36

22
21
19

37
19
18

4
6
9

Bob Ehrlich
10/26/06 LV
6/25/06 RV
1/7/04
All

55
56
62

Parris Glendening:
10/24/02 LV
10/22/98 LV
6/17/98 LV

37
54
55

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Larry Hogan is handling [ITEM]?
3/19/17 - Summary Table
a. The economy

Approve
60

Disapprove
23

No opinion
17

 b. Taxes
c. Education
d. Heroin and opioid abuse in Maryland

51
50
47

29
33
23

20
17
29

Trend:
a. The economy
3/19/17
4/3/16
10/11/15

-------- Approve -------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
60
NA
NA
58
22
36
59
24
35

------- Disapprove -----NET
Somewhat
Strongly
23
NA
NA
28
15
13
25
12
13

No
opin
17
14
16

-------- Approve -------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
51
NA
NA
55
24
31
49
22
27

------- Disapprove -----NET
Somewhat
Strongly
29
NA
NA
26
11
15
31
12
19

No
opin
20
19
19

b. Taxes

3/19/17
4/3/16
10/11/15

Compare to: State budget and taxes
Martin O’Malley
1/26/12
41
10/22/10 RV
44
9/26/10 RV
45
5/6/10
RV
46
10/22/07
40

11
NA

31
NA

48
46
43
40
49

19
NA

28
NA

11
11
12
14
10

c. Education

3/19/17
4/3/16
10/11/15

-------- Approve -------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
50
NA
NA
51
20
31
47
22
25

------- Disapprove -----NET
Somewhat
Strongly
33
NA
NA
29
12
17
32
11
20

No
opin
17
19
22

------- Disapprove -----NET
Somewhat
Strongly
23
NA
NA
25
8
17

No
opin
29
41

d. Heroin and opioid abuse in Maryland
-------- Approve -------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
3/19/17
47
NA
NA
4/3/16*
35
17
18
*”Heroin abuse in Maryland”

3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Maryland state legislature is doing its
job?

3/19/17
3/19/17 RV
5/6/10
RV
10/22/07

---------Approve--------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
50
13
38
50
13
37
48
7
41
49
8
41

--------Disapprove------NET
Somewhat
Strongly
36
17
18
38
18
20
39
21
17
43
20
22

No
opin.
14
12
14
9

4. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of [ITEM]? Do you feel that way
strongly, or somewhat?

 3/19/17 – Summary Table

a. The Democratic
Party in Maryland
b. The Republican
Party in Maryland

--------Favorable-------NET
Strongly
Somewhat

-------Unfavorable------NET
Somewhat
Strongly

No
opin.

56

28

27

35

14

21

9

34

13

21

52

23

29

14

Trend:
a. The Democratic Party in Maryland

3/19/17
3/19/17 RV
6/25/06 RV

--------Favorable-------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
56
28
27
56
29
27
54
NA
NA

-------Unfavorable------NET
Somewhat
Strongly
35
14
21
36
14
22
32
NA
NA

No
opin.
9
7
14

-------Unfavorable------NET
Somewhat
Strongly
52
23
29
53
22
31
45
NA
NA

No
opin.
14
12
15

b. The Republican Party in Maryland

3/19/17
3/19/17 RV
6/25/06 RV

--------Favorable-------NET
Strongly
Somewhat
34
13
21
35
14
21
40
NA
NA

5. Thinking about Maryland’s governor’s race in 2018... if Larry Hogan ran for reelection as governor, do you think you would vote for him OR for the candidate
nominated by the Democratic Party?
3/19/17
9/30/16

Hogan
39
45

Democratic nominee
36
30

Other (Vol.)
3
2

No opinion
22
23

3/19/17 RV
41
37
3
20
9/30/16 RV
46
30
1
22
*2016: “I know it’s a long way away, but thinking about Maryland’s governor’s race in
2018...”
6. Which of the following issues do you want Maryland’s governor and state legislature
to work hardest on: (the state budget), (the state economy), (public education),
(transportation and infrastructure), (drug abuse), (taxes) or something else?

3/19/17
10/11/15
2/8/15

Educ.
38
37
26

Economy
12
20
16

Taxes
12
13
18

Drug
abuse
12
8
9

Trans/
Infras.
11
9
12

Something
else
8
5
9

Budget
6
7
10

No
op.
1
1
1

7. (HALF SAMPLE) Would you support or oppose requiring companies with [ITEM] to
provide five days of paid sick leave each year to full-time employees? Do you feel
that way strongly, or somewhat?

a. At least
FIFTEEN employees
b. At least
FIFTY employees

---------Support--------NET
Strongly
Somewhat

---------Oppose---------NET
Somewhat
Strongly

No
opin.

84

68

16

14

6

8

2

87

69

18

12

4

7

1

 Compare to:
Do you support or oppose a law that would require businesses in Maryland to provide
workers at least five paid sick days a year?
10/11/15

Support
83

Oppose
14

No opinion
3

8. Do you think companies with FEWER THAN FIFTY employees should or should not
receive a tax benefit for providing paid sick leave to employees?

3/19/17

Should
not
16

Should
78

No
opinion
6

On another subject,
9. Governor Hogan’s budget proposal includes 1.3 billion dollars for mental health
and substance abuse services. Would you support or oppose increasing this budget to
provide more long-term residential treatment for opioid and heroin addiction in
Maryland?
3/19/17

Support
72

Oppose
23

No opinion
4

10. (AMONG THOSE WHO SUPPORT BUDGET INCREASE) Would you support increasing spending on
long-term addiction care by up to 10 million dollars, 10 million to under 50 million
dollars or 50 million dollars or more?
3/19/17

Up to $10M
30

$10M - $50M
34

$50M+
24

No op.
12

11. To the best of your knowledge, do you have any family or close friends who are or
have been addicted to prescription pain pills or heroin, or not?
3/19/17
10/11/15

Yes
34
29

No
66
70

No opinion
*
1

12. Based on what you’ve read or heard, how big a problem is corruption in state
government in Maryland? A big problem, a small problem or not a problem?
Big
Small
Not
No opin.
3/19/17
32
44
15
9
1/7/04
27
53
12
8
10/24/02 LV
37
48
11
4
12/19/93*
37
52
6
5
*1993 wording “Do you believe that corruption is a big problem in the Maryland
government, a small problem, or not a problem at all?”
13. Do you think corruption is a big problem in the [RESPONDENT’S COUNTY] county
government, a small problem, or not a problem at all?
3/19/17

Big
24

Small
39

Not
27

No opin.
10

 On another subject,
14. Should local police take an active role in identifying undocumented or illegal
immigrants, or should enforcement be left mainly to the federal authorities?

3/19/17

Local police should
take active role
25

Enforcement should
be left to feds
71

No
opinion
4

15. If local police become more active in identifying undocumented immigrants for
potential deportation, do you think this will (ITEM), or not?
a. Improve compliance with immigration laws
3/19/17

Will
38

Will not
56

No opinion
5

b. Make undocumented immigrants reluctant to inform police of crime
3/19/17

Will
75

Will not
20

No opinion
5

Moving on,
16. How would you rate the Metro rail subway system in the Washington D.C. region excellent, good, not-so-good or poor?
(Vol.)
-----Positive----------Negative-----Never
No
NET
Excel.
Good
NET
Not so
Poor
use
op.
3/19/17
44
5
39
34
19
15
17
6
Md. D.C. suburbs*
41
5
35
53
27
25
5
1
*Montgomery and Prince George’s counties
Compare to D.C. metro region residents (including Md., Va. And D.C. residents):
I would like you to rate some types of public transportation available in some parts
of the greater Washington area. If you have NEVER USED this type of public
transportation, just tell me and I will move on. Generally speaking, how would you
rate the Metrorail subway system: Excellent, good, not-so-good or poor?

6/23/13 Total D.C. area
3/29/10 Total D.C. area
1/31/05 Total D.C. area

-----Positive-----NET
Excel.
Good
71
15
56
70
14
56
75
25
50

-----Negative-----NET
Not so
Poor
16
12
3
17
13
4
12
9
3

6/23/13 Md. D.C. suburbs
3/29/10 Md. D.C. suburbs
1/31/05 Md. D.C. suburbs

68
66
69

16
19
7

14
15
23

53
52
46

14
15
4

2
4
3

Never
use
13
12
12
16
14
23

No
op.
1
1
*
*
1
1

17. In the past five years, do you think the Metro rail system has gotten better,
gotten worse, or stayed about the same?
3/19/17
Md. D.C. suburbs

Better
15
20

Worse
27
41

Same
41
34

Never use
10
3

No opinion
8
2

18. In the NEXT five years, do you think the Metro rail system will get better, get
worse or stay about the same?
3/19/17

Better
41

Worse
13

Same
34

Never use
5

No opinion
7

 Md. D.C. suburbs

50

12

31

2

6

19. Metro and many elected officials say the agency needs more funding to make the
rail and bus system safe and reliable. Would you support or oppose [ITEM]? (IF NEEDED)
Would you support or oppose [NEXT ITEM]?
3/19/17 Summary table
Support

Oppose

No opinion

a. Increasing funding for Metro
from Maryland, Virginia and D.C.,
paid for by raising taxes or cutting
other programs
Md. D.C. suburbs

38
42

55
53

6
5

b. Increasing fares for riding
Metro trains and buses
Md. D.C. suburbs

40
29

56
69

5
2

c. Reducing the frequency of Metro
trains and buses
Md. D.C. suburbs

27
26

66
71

8
3

d. Creating a sales tax in the D.C.
region that would directly fund Metro
Md. D.C. suburbs

51
50

42
47

7
3

e. A new property tax on buildings and
homes located close to Metro
rail stations
Md. D.C. suburbs

28
26

65
69

6
5

Lastly,
20. As you may know, President Trump signed a new executive order blocking entry to
the United States by citizens from Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya for 90
days. The restrictions do not include legal permanent residents of the U.S. and people
who had travel visas before January 27, 2017. Do you support or oppose Trump’s
executive order?
3/19/17

Support
33

Oppose
65

No opinion
2

21. (AMONG THOSE WHO OPPOSE EXECUTIVE ORDER) Do you think it is absolutely necessary
that Governor Hogan speak out in opposition to Trump’s executive order on this issue,
or is it not absolutely necessary?

3/19/17

Absolutely
necessary
74

Not absol.
necessary
24

No
opinion
2

20/21 Net table

3/19/17

Support
33

-------Oppose Trump travel order------NET
Necessary
Not necessary
No op.
65
48
15
2

No opinion
2

PARTYID. Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as:
Democrat

Republican

Independent

Other

No opinion

 3/19/17
9/30/16
4/3/16
10/11/15
2/8/15
10/5/14
2/16/14
2/24/13
10/15/12
1/26/12
10/22/10 RV
9/26/10
5/6/10
10/20/08 RV
10/22/07
10/26/06 RV

47
43
44
40
46
43
42
45
46
44
49
46
44
50
48
50

16
19
19
20
18
17
18
18
20
19
21
21
22
24
19
28

29
32
30
33
29
29
31
31
25
30
25
25
27
25
26
20

4
4
4
5
5
7
4
4
5
3
4
5
4
1
7
2

3
2
2
2
2
4
5
2
5
2
1
4
3
*
1
*

** END **
METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS
This poll was jointly sponsored and funded by The Washington Post and The University
of Maryland's Center for American Politics and Citizenship within the College of
Behavioral and Social Science's Department of Government and Politics. The poll
includes interviews in English and Spanish.
This questionnaire was administered with the exact questions in the exact order as
appears in this document. Demographics and religious identity questions are not shown.
If a question was asked of a reduced base of the sample, a parenthetical preceding the
question identifies the group asked. Questions that contain parenthetical phrases
indicate clauses that were randomly rotated for respondents. Trended references to
results with “LV” or “RV” indicate results among likely voters or registered voters.
A dual frame landline and cellular phone telephone sample was generated using Random
Digit Dialing procedures. Interviewers called landlines and cellular phone numbers,
first requesting to speak with the youngest adult male or female at home. The final
sample included 415 interviews completed on landlines and 499 interviews completed via
cellular phones, including 218 interviews with adults in cell phone-only households.
Interviewers called landlines and asked to interview the youngest male or youngest
female who is at home at the time, with the male requested 75 percent of the time.
Interviewers calling cellular phones interviewed the responding individual if they
were eligible to participate.
This survey uses statistical weighting procedures to account for deviations in the
survey sample from known population characteristics, which helps correct for
differential survey participation and random variation in samples. The overall adult
sample is weighted to correct for differential probabilities of selection among
individuals who are landline-only, cell phone-only or dual users. Results are weighted
match the demographic makeup of the population by sex, region, age, education and
race/ethnicity according to the 2015 American Community Survey, as well as the share
of adults who are cell phone-only, landline-only and dual-users according to the 2015
National Health Interview Survey.
All error margins have been adjusted to account for the survey’s design effect, which
is 1.4 in this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the survey’s
deviation from a simple random sample, and takes into account decreases in precision
due to sample design and weighting procedures. Surveys that do not incorporate a
design effect overstate their precision.
Group

Unweighted
sample size

Error margin

 All adults
Registered voters
Half sample
Md. D.C. suburbs

914
841
452-462
317

+/- 4 points
4
5.5
6.5

The Washington Post is a charter member of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, which
recognizes organizations that disclose key methodological details on the research they
produce.
Contact polls@washpost.com for further information about how The Washington Post
conducts polls.