Raleigh, N.C. – Retired Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox is one of the most popular figures on which PPP has ever polled. 68% of Georgians consider themselves fans of the state’s Major League Baseball team, and 86% of them look back fondly on the work Cox did in his 25 years helming the team; only 5% disapprove.
Braves diehards are also pretty positive so far on Cox’s replacement for the 2011 season, former third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez, who was fired by the Florida Marlins in the middle of the 2010 season. 45% think he was a good hire, and only 7% a bad one. Most fans (48%), unsurprisingly, are reserving judgment only a few games into the season.
In the college ranks, most of the state’s fans (45%) follow the Georgia Bulldogs, while only 14% root for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. 41% support neither team.
Being in general more football schools than basketball schools, both team’s fans like their football coaches. 59% of Bulldogs supporters approve of Mark Richt’s performance, and only 15% disapprove. GT’s Paul Johnson gets an identical net +44 margin, 53-9.
But Georgia fans are much more satisfied with the direction of their basketball program than are Yellow Jackets backers, following the firing of Paul Hewitt and hiring of former Dayton coach Brian Gregory. Georgia’s head coach Mark Fox, who took the team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine seasons this year, gets a 48-10 approval margin, though 42% are still not sure how they feel about their second-year coach.
Hewitt failed to get his team to the tourney after reaching the championship game in 2004, and he posted losing records in three of the last four years. Despite that, though, slightly more (31%) of the program’s fans disagree with his dismissal than agree (29%). A 40% plurality are unsure.
His replacement has, of course, yet to make an impression, so 79% are waiting to see how Gregory does in the fall. Those who have already made up their minds fall 2:1 (14-7) in his favor.
PPP surveyed 790 Georgia voters from March 31st to April 3rd. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.5%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you consider yourself to be a fan of
Georgia, Georgia Tech, or neither team?
Georgia………………………………………………….. 45%
Georgia Tech ………………………………………….. 14%
Neither team…………………………………………… 41%
Q2 (Georgia fans only) Do you approve or
disapprove of the job Mark Richt is doing as
coach of the football team?
Approve …………………………………………………. 59%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 15%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%
Q3 (Georgia fans only) Do you approve or
disapprove of the job Mark Fox is doing as
coach of the basketball team?
Approve …………………………………………………. 48%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 10%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 42%
Q4 (Georgia Tech fans only) Do you approve or
disapprove of the job Paul Johnson is doing as
coach of the football team?
Approve …………………………………………………. 53%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 9%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 37%
Q5 (Georgia Tech fans only) Do you agree or
disagree with the decision to fire Paul Hewitt as
basketball coach?
Agree …………………………………………………….. 29%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 31%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 40%
Q6 (Georgia Tech fans only) Do you think Brian
Gregory was a good hire or a bad hire as Paul
Hewitt’s replacement, or are you not sure?
Good hire……………………………………………….. 14%
Bad hire …………………………………………………. 7%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 79%
Q7 Do you consider yourself to be an Atlanta
Braves fan?
Yes………………………………………………………… 68%
No …………………………………………………………. 20%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q8 (Braves fans only) Do you approve or
disapprove of the job Bobby Cox did during his
time with the Braves?
Approve …………………………………………………. 86%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 5%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q9 (Braves fans only) Do you think Fredi Gonzalez
was a good hire or a bad hire as Bobby Cox’s
replacement?
Good hire……………………………………………….. 45%
Bad hire …………………………………………………. 7%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 48%
Q10 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 47%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 42%
Someone Else/Don’t Remember………………… 11%
Q11 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 11%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 15%
Moderate………………………………………………… 26%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 28%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 20%
Q12 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%
Q13 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 39%
Republican……………………………………………… 40%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 21%
Q14 If you are white, press 1. If African American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 65%
African American……………………………………… 29%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q15 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 18%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 38%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
