PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE

CONTACT: Micky Horstman (312) 607-4977

Lincoln Poll: 57% of Chicagoans disapprove of Mayor Johnson’s performance 
At least 2 in 3 Chicago voters disapprove of Johnson’s handling of homelessness and housing, crime and migrants

CHICAGO (Feb. 1, 2024) – The Illinois Policy Institute’s newest Lincoln Poll, released today, found over 2 in 3 Chicago voters disapprove of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of homelessness and housing, crime and migrants.

Chicagoans showed the strongest level of disapproval on Johnson’s handling of the migrant crisis, at 69%. Disapproval of his approach to homelessness was 68% and his inaction on crime was 66%.

The poor handling of these issues led to 57% of Chicago respondents disapproving of Johnson overall – a seven percentage point increase since October 2023. Only 29% of respondents approved of him.

“As the Johnson administration approaches the end of its first year, Chicagoans have voiced major concerns about the handling of issues affecting our city. It’s critical Mayor Johnson takes these concerns and uses them as a roadmap for improvement,” said Josh Bandoch, head of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute. “Finding solutions for rising crime, homelessness and the migrant crisis will help rebuild the confidence of city voters and restore Chicago as an attractive city to live and do business in.”

In the latest poll, crime was the primary concern for Chicago voters. It was followed by taxes and affordability, then city leadership. This might reflect recent handling of the influx of tens of thousands of migrants to Chicago, which has cost the city over $150 million.

Additionally, 63% of Chicagoans indicated the city is headed in the wrong direction.

The Lincoln Poll was conducted for the Illinois Policy Institute by Echelon Insights, which surveyed 800 registered voters in Illinois between Jan. 16-21, 2024, with a +/- 4.3 percentage point margin of error.

Poll toplines are available here.

Poll crosstabs are available here.

To read more about Mayor Johnson’s favorability, visit illin.is/mayorpoll.

For interviews or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.