53% of adults in NYC believe it’s a bad idea while 42% say it is a good one. 6% are unsure.
Dr Lee Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said: “Unfortunately for Mayor Bloomberg, New Yorkers find the glass to be half empty on his proposal to ban super-size drinks.”
By borough, the proposal is poorly received among residents in Queens and Staten Island and in Brooklyn (US). 58% of adults in Queens and Staten Island and 55% of those in Brooklyn say the ban is a bad idea.
However, 52% of Manhattan residents think the proposal is a good one. In the Bronx, 49% say the plan is a bad idea while 44% think it’s a good one.
Even a majority of New Yorkers who want to lose weight (51%) think the restriction is not a good idea.
And, while 42% of New York City adults report the idea is good health policy to fight the problem of obesity, 53% believe Bloomberg’s plan is an example of government going too far. 5% are unsure.
Many New Yorkers think there’s little point to the ban. 52% state the proposal won’t help people watch their weight. 45% disagree and say it will, and 3% are unsure.
67% have seen or heard about it including 39% who have heard a great deal about it and 28% who know a good amount. 16% haven’t heard or seen very much about the plan, and 17% know nothing at all about it.
When it comes to New Yorkers’ own drinking habits, the ban would affect less than one in five adults. Just 17% of residents say they purchase a beverage larger than 16oz when they go out to eat, to the movies, or to a sporting event.
This includes 6% who report they do so very often and 11% who say they often do. 31% state it’s rare they make such a purchase, and 52% say they never buy super-size drinks. Not surprisingly, 64% of those who purchase these large drinks think the mayor’s proposed ban is a bad idea.
Source: Marist Poll
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