Results also show that more than half of Chicago voters do not want to see him re-elected.
Daley's poll numbers have never been lower.
The numbers in the Chicago Tribune poll could spell trouble for the mayor because there are just seven months left until the primary election. However, if he decides to run, it would be for a record seventh term.
No other candidates have emerged to challenge Daley.
Crime-ravaged neighborhoods, taxes, fees, a big Olympic loss, Daley fatigue, and of course, parking meter, those are just some of things conspiring to bring down the mayor's approval ratings to record low levels.
Want to start a conversation in this city? Just ask any resident what they think of the job their mayor is doing.
"The parking meter thing. I thought that was terrible," one man said.
"It seems like it's all about the money for the city now," a woman told ABC7 Chicago.
"I don't know why no one says it to his face, but I am. Mayor Daley, step down," said Faye Porter, a Hyde Park area resident.
A record number of Chicagoans do not like the job Daley is doing. Forty-seven percent disapprove of his job. Only 31 percent of those polled want to see Daley re-elected.
When confronted with the low poll numbers Saturday at an anti-crime rally in the Woodlawn neighborhood, Daley hardly seemed like a politician under siege. Those close to Daley say he still has passion for his job, a personal pre-requisite before deciding whether to seek re-election in the spring.
"All politicians worry about polls. They should worry about their actions," Daley said.
The mayor says he hasn't lost sight of what is important to residents.
"See all these things? Garbage, abandoned buildings, abandoned cars, graffiti. Different issues. I do this everyday," he said.
Few elected officials anywhere in America have done a better job of keeping challengers at bay. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Cook Co. Sheriff Tom Dart, Ald. Tom Tunney are just a few of the people who say they might like to run for mayor, but only if Daley decides to retire.
"Mayor Daley is not very good. I think most people know that, but who is going to run? That's the question," Porter said.
And that is, perhaps, why Daley seems unaffected by his sinking approval rating. While he may be the mayor Chicagoans love to gripe about, it seems many people can't imagine a city run by anyone else. For example, just before he ran for re-election in 2007, Daley's job approval rating was just 41 percent. On Election Day, against Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, Daley walked away with 71 percent of the vote.
"I don't think I could do a better job. So, the man's got my vote," said Donna Burch, an Edgewater area resident.
Perhaps, the mayor is like winter weather. Everyone likes to complain, but few people are willing to move.
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. once contemplated challenging the mayor, but he's been in virtual seclusion since his name surfaced in the Rod Blagojevich trial.
North Side rookie Ald. Scott Waguespack told me ABC7 Saturdany night that he is seriously thinking about running against the mayor, regardless of Daley's decision.
However, Mayor Daley's support in Chicago's business community has not softened. That means any opponent would have a tough time raising comparable cash.
