BOSTON, Nov. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A new statewide Connecticut poll reveals Donald Trump holding a significant lead over his Republican opponents with 25% of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio at 14% and John Kasich and Jeb Bush tied at 10%. Ben Carson rounded out the top five at 9%. Trump has an overall favorability of 40%, but that number increases to 55% among likely GOP primary voters. Asked about the press scrutiny of Ben Carson, 61% of voters overall said it was fair. As expected, party affiliation drove opinion with only 40% of GOP primary voters saying it was fair, compared with 72% of Democrat primary voters.

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On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a commanding lead in the primary race, with 50% of the vote, followed by Bernie Sanders at 31% and Martin O'Malley at 9%. There is a wide gender gap among women, with Clinton beating Sanders 55% to 24%. Among male voters, Clinton and Sanders are tied at 41%. Clinton has an overall 39% favorable rating, but among Republican primary voters this drops to 8%; among Democratic voters she has a 71% favorable rating.

A variety of other issues were polled in the state.

A majority of respondents (50% to 27%) oppose a tuition hike for the University of Connecticut, which was proposed to make up for a budget deficit.

By more than a three-to-one ratio (65% to 18%), voters support allowing a mentally competent adult who is terminally ill to voluntarily end their life using prescription medication.

Of the respondents familiar with Common Core standards for education, 61% oppose the standards while 21% support them.

Legalization of recreational marijuana is opposed by 47% and supported by 37%.

When asked if respondents would encourage someone to move to Connecticut 60% said no, and 30% said yes.

On the lighter side, 33% of respondents said the New England Patriots were their favorite pro football team, followed by the New York Giants at 20%. Only 4% chose the New York Jets.

Only 18% of respondents liked the name, Hartford Yard Goats, which was chosen for the Colorado Rockies Do minor league baseball affiliate, which will move from New Britain to Hartford this coming spring.

The Emerson College Polling Society poll was conducted from Friday night November 13 through Monday November 16. The polling sample for the Democratic and GOP primaries consisted of 251 and 445 likely primary voters, respectively, with a margin of error of +/-6% and +/-4.6%, an overall sample of 623 registered voters with a +/-3.9%, and a 95% confidence level was used for the additional statewide questions. Data was collected using an Interactive Voice Response system. The full methodology and results can be found at www.theecps.com

Media Contact:

Spencer Kimball

617-824-8737

SOURCE Emerson College Polling Society

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http://www.theecps.com

