Rahm Emanuel: The First 100 Days
After 100 Days, Residents Signal Approval of Emanuel’s Policies but Have Yet to See Much Improvement to Core City Services
After his first 100 days in office, more than half of Chicago residents (52%) report that they are either extremely or somewhat satisfied with Rahm Emanuel’s performance as Mayor, according to a recent public opinion study conducted by LJS Strategic Research, a Chicago-based market research firm. Residents generally approve of the new Mayor’s policy initiatives, but have yet to see any direct impact on core City services.
Emanuel, who is correctly identified as the current Mayor of Chicago by virtually all residents both on an unaided (97%) and aided (99%) basis, was elected by a comfortable margin earlier this year and was inaugurated in May.
Prior to his election as the City’s 55th Mayor, Emanuel served as Chief of Staff to President Obama, who currently enjoys a similar satisfaction rating among those respondents surveyed (53%) and polls significantly higher among residents of his native Chicago than the rest of the countryi.
Policy Initiatives Garner Broad Approval
Policy initiatives developed and implemented during Emanuel’s first 100 days are generally seen as steps in the right direction by Chicago residents, particularly with regards to crime and government corruption.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) report they are either extremely or somewhat satisfied with Emanuel’s proposals to help make city government more ethical, while roughly the same amount (45%) are satisfied with the Mayor’s plan to make the City a safer place to live.
Slightly less (40%) say they are satisfied with Emanuel’s initiatives to make the City a more livable place.
Residents express relatively less satisfaction with the Mayor’s policies to improve public transportation (26% are extremely or somewhat satisfied) and, despite several recent announcements with Fortune 500 companies such as United Airlinesii, Chaseiii, and GE Capitaliv to bring more jobs to the City, fewer than one in three (29%) express satisfaction with Emanuel’s strategy to lower the City’s unemployment rate.
Little Improvement Seen in Core City Services
Respondents report that the services provided by core City agencies have remained about the same or, in some cases, have gotten worse since Emanuel has taken office, suggesting that many of the policies that residents find appealing have yet to take effect.
Most notably, more than one quarter of respondents (28%) believe that the services provided by the Chicago Police Department have gotten worse since Mr. Emanuel took office compared to 14% who say the services provided by the Department have gotten better.
However, considering the commonly observed seasonal spike in violent crime during the summer months, and the highly publicized “flash mobs”v, perceptions of the Department’s performance may be impacted by factors other than public policy.
The perception of the remaining core services measured are, for the most part, the same as they were before Mayor Emanuel took office, with only minor shifts that are not statistically significant.
What Was Done
Data were collected between August 1st and 3rd, 2011 with 266 City of Chicago residents over the age of 18 who are members of the LJS Consumer Research Panel, an online research community.
Contact
Anthony Bahr
Analyst, LJS Strategic Research
Phone: 312/321-8117
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
i. Based on August 17th, 2011 Gallup data which reports that the President’s national approval rating is 39%.ii. “Mayor Emanuel Announces United Airlines Will Bring 1,300 New Jobs to Chicago”. Mayor’s Press Office, June 10, 2011.iii.“Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announces Chase will Create More than 400 New Jobs and Open Four New Branches in Chicago”. Mayor’s Press Office, August 9, 2011.iv. “Emanuel, GE Capital Announce 1,000 New Jobs Coming to Chicago”. Chicago Tribune, May 23, 2011. v. “Chicago Police Brace for 'Flash Mob' Attacks”. Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2011