The survey, conducted between November 30 and December 7 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, found that 18 percent of GOP voters in the state name jobs and the economy as the top issue influencing their vote, down from 29 percent in September.
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Trump had 32 percent of support among the likely GOP primary voters, Sen.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie holds third place in the new poll with 9%, followed closely by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (8%), Ohio Gov. John Kasich (7%), Texas Sen.
In September, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina fell second after Trump with 16 percent of support.
Only 18 percent of Republican voters in the state have decided whom to support in the primary, according to the poll, as 26 percent are leaning toward a candidate and 56 percent are still trying to decide.
Kasich remained the same since the September survey – and the biggest loser was Fiorina, who plunged 11 points in the latest survey. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Donald Trump unleashed a firestorm of criticism from liberals, conservatives and those in between when he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Rand Paul saw 2 percent, whileLindsey Graham and Mike Huckabee each had 1 percent.
Although the comments were met with bipartisan outrage from Trump’s fellow candidates and other politicians and political observers, survey center director Andrew Smith said it is unclear if the remarks will hurt or help Trump among voters in New Hampshire and nationally. And 34 percent view Trump as the Republican with the best chance of winning the general election, with Rubio second at 17 percent and Christie third at 7 percent.
Trump is viewed at being the best candidate to handle the Islamic State (ISIS). Trump also holds a wide lead as most trusted to handle immigration, 45% to 14% for Rubio and 11% for Bush. The sample includes 954 New Hampshire residents, with 402 of those voters saying they plan to vote in the Republican presidential primary.
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Rubio was found to be the most favorable candidate, “with 61% holding a positive view of him and 23% unfavorable”.
