FLINT (WJRT) -
(01/30/12) - Gov. Rick Snyder has recently touted the drop in Michigan's unemployment rate. And according to a new ABC12/Epic-MRA poll, some voters are crediting him for the decreased numbers.
The governor said during his State of the State Address earlier this month that the unemployment rate fell from 11.1 percent to 9.3 percent in the past year. But for people who are still without a job, they don't care so much about how the numbers got there. They just hope it makes getting that job a little easier.
"I've been out of work for about a month now," said Carolyn Gordon of Flint, "[It's] terrible."
Gordon hopes that feeling doesn't last much longer. She's been spending her free time at Michigan Works sprucing up her resume.
"I'm very hopeful. I think I'm going to find it," Gordon said.
Gordon thinks the decreasing unemployment rate means good news for the job market. According to a new ABC12/Epic-MRA Poll, voters gave a variety of reasons for drop in unemployment numbers.
- 31 percent think it's because people are dropping out of the job market or leaving Michigan.
-23 percent say it's the state's rebounding auto industry.
-11 percent think the numbers are the result of a general upturn in the economy.
- 6 percent of voters give credit to Gov. Snyder.
-6 percent think President Obama had something to do with it.
-3 percent think former Gov. Granholm played a role.
Jesse Varney says theses numbers don't matter to him. "I'm just looking for a job," he said.
Varney says he's been trying to do that for nearly two years. But he's more hopeful now than he was before.
"Things are starting to get better. That's why I'm willing to look for a job. At first I was like, 'There aren't any jobs so why look?' But now, I have to look. I want a job," Varney said.
According to the ABC12/Epic-MRA poll, 49 percent of voters now believe the economy is getting better. Epic-MRA president Bernie Porn believes as that number goes up, so will the job approval ratings for both Gov. Snyder and President Obama.
