ANCHORAGE — A new poll from Hays Research in Anchorage says Gov. Sarah Palin now has 54 percent positive and 41. 6 percent negative rating in Alaska.
That's a dramatic change from the 86 percent positive and just 9 percent negative Hays reported in a poll on Palin almost exactly a year ago. It's also down from a survey taken six weeks earlier.
The new survey was a statewide poll of 400 people on May 4-5.
That’s a smaller sample size than some statewide polls but the same as earlier Hays polls that have tracked Palin over time. Margin of error is listed at 4.9 percent.
Hays asked "please tell me whether you have a positive or negative opinion” of Palin? Then — “Is that very positive/negative or somewhat positive/negative."
Here are the results:
Very positive 30.5
Somewhat positive 23.5 percent
Somewhat negative 16.8 percent
Very negative 24.8 percent
Don't know/Didn't answer 4.5 percent
The last Hays poll, taken March 24-25, found Palin's positive ratings were at 59.8 percent and negatives at 34.9 percent.
Palin has experienced setbacks since — notably the Legislature’s rejection of Wayne Anthony Ross as her appointee for Alaska attorney general. But the poll didn't include questions on how people feel about specific actions.
Anne Hays said the firm paid for the survey itself.