89th Senate Midterm Approval Poll Analysis
Exactly half of respondents approved of Senate
Written by Caius and Forilian
Coordinated by McEntire
Editor's Note: As this poll closed on Friday, June 16, before recent controversies surrounding the Executive and the Senate, the data within this poll may not be entirely reflective of current public opinion as of publication. Furthermore, given the forum's attachment limit of 20 per post, all comments are included in a follow-up post here.
The Europeian Broadcasting Corporation ran a midterm approval poll on the 89th (current) Senate of Europeia from June 14 to 16. There were 24 responses received.
Senate Overall
The Senate overall received an approval rating of exactly 50%, including 12.5% very satisfied and 37.5% satisfied. Notably, a large margin (25%) of respondents were neutral, giving the Senate overall a +25% approval rating. Comments ranged from praise for the Senate doing a “good job this term” to concerns over “hostility and aggressiveness from some Senators” over particular issues.
The public were more satisfied with the Senate’s activity levels, with 75% approving. Comments seem to diverge over the quality of the activity this term – most comments believed that this Senate has been “very active,” though some pondered whether “all of it [was] positive activity.” One commenter, meanwhile, believed there should’ve been “more output” from senators.
Speaker Lime
The speaker received exactly the same approval rating as the Senate overall, 50%, though with a slightly lower net approval rating overall of +20.8%. This is a significant decrease from the end-of-term polling results of the previous Senate term, when Speaker Lime received 73% approval. While the speaker received comments suggesting he should “show more spine in leadership,” there were also positive signs – one respondent noted that the Senate speaker’s “work has been astounding.”
Senator JayDee
Senator JayDee received the lowest approval ratings out of all senators – 41.7% – though he still manages a positive net approval rating of +8.4% (the second-lowest amongst all senators). Comments were negative overall, with some respondents calling the senator “often unprofessional, immature, and/or needlessly emotional” or “needless[ly] abrasive.”
Senator Prim
With an approval rate of 75% and a net approval of +62.5%, Senator Prim was the second-most popular Senator amongst those surveyed. This also marks a slight improvement of 8% approval from the previous term, when the senator received an approval rating of 67%. A respondent commended the senator for their great work on the Bar Association Act, while another bemused that Prim was “not as active as usual.” However, overall, the senator seems to be enjoying high levels of popularity.
Senator McEntire
McEntire may well be the most polarizing senator of this term. With an approval rating of 50 percent, he is tied with Speaker Lime – however, his net approval of +4.2% is the lowest amongst his colleagues. 25% of respondents, in particular, were very dissatisfied with the senator, though this is counterbalanced with the 29.2% who are very satisfied. The comments were also split, with some lauding Senator McEntire for his ability to “ask the tough questions” and bemoaning the “flak” the senator has been getting over their oversight of the executive, while others describe McEntire as being “too confrontational” and their actions as being “overreach.”
Ex-Senator UPC
Although he has since resigned to fulfill a campaign promise, UPC was the most popular senator of this Senate with 79.2% approval. The ex-senator also scored the highest net approval out of his colleagues, with +75% net approval. Comments largely expressed sadness at the former senator’s resignation, though one commenter praised UPC’s “great work.”
By-Election Field Could’ve Been Bigger, Say Respondents
58.4% of respondents were satisfied with the field of candidates in the Senate by-election to replace Senator UPC, though the comments tell a different story – most commenters wished for “additional options” and believed that the field of just Ellenburg and Gem as candidates was “a bit disappointing.” Two other candidates had previously stood for election – Common-Sense Politics (CSP) and Cove – however, both eventually dropped out of the race before polls opened on Friday.
Confirmations Hearings
The senate's handling of confirmation hearings received an approval rating of roughly 70%, including 26.1% very satisfied and 43.5% satisfied, 13% were neutral and 17% expressed disapproval, giving the senate a net approval rating of 53%.
Comments reflected on the Senate’s quick and non-partisan processing of confirmations, with a particular commenter praising Senator McEntire for being able to ask a lot of good questions. Another commenter also praised the overall process as a “good check of balance of power”.
Executive Oversight
The senate’s handling of executive oversight received the worst rating out of all, with a disapproval rating of roughly 54.2%, while receiving an approval rating of roughly 29%, giving the senate a net approval rating of -25.2% on this issue.
The comments show that the voters were particularly disappointed with the Senate’s handling of the ongoing FA incident with TRR. With one commenter noting that the senate’s comments came across as accusatory and unprofessional. Another commenter said that the senate was treating the executive government as their rivals.
Justice Term Limit Extension Amendment (2023)
The senate received an approval rating of 54.2% for the handling of this bill, and a disapproval rating of 25%. This gave the bill a net approval of 29.2%. A substantial number of voters, 20.8%, were neutral.
Comments were a bit mixed, with one commenter calling for the repeal of the bill, another commenter expressing dissatisfaction for term limits, and one commenter who initially expressed disapproval but has now changed his mind.
Citizenship Requirement Amendment (2023)
The bill was received well with nearly 71% approval, no disapproval and with 29.2% being neutral.
Senate Resolution 012: Recognizing Euro Pride 2023
This bill was the most popular among the voters, receiving 95% approval and no disapproval.
The sole commenter said that the project was "cute."
Frontier Day Amendment (2023)
This bill also had a relatively high approval rating of 70.9%, with a disapproval rating of 12.5%, giving the bill a net approval of 58.4%. A notable 16.7% were also neutral.
One particular commenter expressed apathy towards the bill, while another “loved” it.
Deputy Senate Clerk Amendment (2023)
This bill received an approval rating of 66.7%, with a disapproval rating of 20.8%. Bringing the bill to a net approval rating of 45.9%, and with 12.5% of the respondents voting Neutral.
Many commenters praised the fact that the bill was currently being postponed, and one commenter criticized Senator JayDee, the bill proposer, calling it “childish bickering” and expressing disappointment.
Removing Election Administrator Discretion Amendment (2023)
This bill remains deeply mixed - with 50% of the respondents voting Neutral, 33.3% in approval and 16.7% in disapproval, giving the bill a net approval rating of 16.6%, the lowest of all the bills.
MadJack Affair
The MadJack affair took the last days of Rand’s administration and currently Pland Adanna’s administration by storm, and here, the respondents seem to be in support of the executive government, with 54.2% approving the government’s response. However, a big portion, 37.5% of the respondents said that they’d like more answers from the government, and the rest 8.3% remain undecided.
