Poll Finds Some Believe Mayor Has Lost Focus

They also have more mixed feelings about Mr. Bloomberg’s performance and his policies and feel more pessimistic about the direction of the city than they did in the previous survey just five weeks ago, the poll found.

Mr. Bloomberg is not the only elected official whose standing has fallen in the eyes of New York voters. Indeed, voters registered higher levels of disapproval for all officials mentioned in the survey, including Raymond W. Kelly, the police commissioner; Dennis M. Walcott, the schools chancellor; Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker; John C. Liu, the city comptroller; and Bill de Blasio, the public advocate.

Still, the survey suggests that whatever bounce Mr. Bloomberg enjoyed after what voters considered his strong performance during Tropical Storm Irene has receded. Instead, the mayor’s numbers are back to where they had been earlier this year, with residents saying that they approved of his performance, 47 to 42 percent, and his policies, 48 percent to 45 percent.

Voters also say, 52 to 41 percent, that Mr. Bloomberg has lost his focus; in July, those numbers were reversed, with voters saying, 49 to 43 percent, that he had kept his focus. One thing that has remained consistent for much of Mr. Bloomberg’s 10-year tenure, though, is the fact that New Yorkers like him as a person, 60 to 25 percent.