Most Torontonians think Mayor Rob Ford is doing a bad job but his core supporters are shrugging off recent gaffes, says a new Toronto Star poll.

The Oct. 1-2 survey of 802 residents by Angus Reid Public Opinion also found that, midway through Ford’s term, Torontonians have a much worse impression of him than several potential challengers, including NDP MP Olivia Chow, who got double Ford’s approval rating.

Respondents to the online survey, which has a margin of error of 3.4 per cent 19 times out of 20, were asked to give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to Ford’s management of eight different issues.

New poll: Supporters approve of Mayor Rob Ford using city staff, resources for football

Only for garbage collection — Ford oversaw the expansion of private curbside collection — did most Torontonians (58 per cent) give the mayor a thumbs up.

A majority gave the mayor a thumbs down on issues including managing the city budget (52 per cent) and collective bargaining with city unions (56 per cent).

“It’s pretty condemning that, at this point in his mandate, on the majority of these issues that we expected him to own, he’s getting a thumbs down evaluation from voters,” said Jodi Shanoff, an Angus Reid Public Opinion senior vice-president.

Ford got thumbs down from 55 per cent of people for “promoting Toronto as a good place to live and work”; from 56 per cent for keeping election promises; from 68 per cent for gangs and violence; from 73 per cent for the TTC; and from 89 per cent for his “personal image.”

Respondents were also asked: “Overall, how good a job do you feel the following have been doing when it comes to providing leadership in Toronto?”

Just over half ranked Toronto City Council, as a whole, as doing a good job, followed by councillors Adam Vaughan and Karen Stintz at 48 per cent each. Ford trailed at 39 per cent.

While the Vaughan and Stintz ratings come with the proviso that many Torontonians “Don’t know,” or had no opinion, not so with Ford. For him, only 2 per cent were unsure.

“Torontonians decidedly have opinions about Mayor Ford,” Shanoff said. “The fact that (his rating) is so negative at this stage in his mandate means that people are not in agreement with the choices he is making, as opposed to a less well-known public figure where people are waiting to weigh in.

“Overwhelmingly, Torontonians are saying they are not happy.”

But a whopping 97 per cent of hardcore Ford fans — those who voted for him in 2010 and plan to do so again — think the mayor is doing a good job providing leadership.

That was one of several results in the poll (weighted to reflect voting results from the last election) that suggest Ford’s political base — about 21 per cent of respondents — is sticking with him after a summer of controversy.

“They are not looking to change their minds, they are satisfied with what they got and they plan to repeat it,” Shanoff said.

The arch-conservative ex-councillor was elected in 2010 with 47 per cent of the vote. The next civic election is not until 2014 but a guilty finding on a conflict-of-interest allegation could force him out earlier and trigger a mayoral byelection.

Asked if they would vote for Ford were an election held tomorrow, 51 per cent of Torontonians said they would “definitely” not while 12 per cent would “probably” not. Some 14 per cent said they would “definitely” vote to re-elect Ford while another 16 per cent “probably” would.

Among those who voted for Ford in 2010, 65 per cent would do so again. But about half of those fans would only “probably” opt for four more years of Ford, suggesting some “cracks” in his support, Shanoff said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Respondents were also asked if they have a “positive” or “negative” impression of Ford, Chow, Vaughan, Stintz, Councillor Shelley Carroll and Newstalk 1010 host and politico John Tory.

Chow got by far the highest approval rating at 60 per cent, followed by Tory (40 per cent); Stintz (37 per cent), who has said she would not run against Ford; Vaughan (36 per cent), a potential candidate; Ford (30 per cent); and Carroll (14 per cent), who is gauging support for a run.

A February Star/Angus Reid survey gave Ford a 31 per cent approval rating.

“There’s a halo around Olivia Chow,” Shanoff said, from her legacy as a Toronto activist and politician plus the wave of national support and then grief for her husband, NDP Leader Jack Layton, who died last year.

The Star revealed this summer a campaign to convince Chow to run against Ford. She initially offered a flat “no” saying she needs to stay in Ottawa to fight the Stephen Harper government for a national transit strategy.

But the former Toronto councillor recently softened her opposition to a mayoral run, saying: “We’ll see what happens down the road.”

That 60 per cent approval would shrink, or expand, if Chow were an actual mayoral candidate with policies to defend, Shanoff noted.

Many respondents were unfamiliar with Stintz and Vaughan, making their support questionable, she added, while Carroll’s 14 per cent “shows she’s really languishing in terms of overall familiarity.”

ALSO ON THE STAR:

Conservation authority nixes selling or turning zoo over to new operators

City sells Enwave, CFO warns council it needs to shape upend

Top Toronto city managers report culture of fear, bullying

Read more about: