A new poll released Wednesday finds that New Jersey voters say that a strong farming industry is vital to the health of the state, with 64% of voters from across the political spectrum saying that agriculture is “very important” to the economy.
According to the latest results from the FDU Poll prepared in collaboration with the New Jersey Farm Bureau, an overwhelming majority (79%) also oppose seizing farmland for use in affordable housing projects.
“New Jersey has evolved since our origins as the breadbasket of New York and Philadelphia,” said Dan Cassino, professor of Government and Politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and the executive director of the FDU Poll. “But people here still see farming as being an important part of what the state has.”
While partisan divisions define most political and social issues in New Jersey and nationwide, there are no such divisions to be found in the views of agriculture. Sixty-five percent of Democrats say that farming is “very important” to the health of the state, little different from the 70% of Republicans or 59% of independents who say the same.
“Agriculture’s bipartisan appeal should be appreciated as we head toward the upcoming state elections in November,” said Farm Bureau President Allen Carter.
Still, there are some differences based on region and age. Voters in the northwestern part of the state are the most likely to say that farming is “very important” (72%), while those in the urban core counties are the least likely (55%) to do so. Similarly, older voters are rather more likely to say that farming is “very important” (74% for voters 65 and over) than younger voters (48% for voters 30 and under).
The perceived importance of farming by New Jerseyans is virtually unchanged from 2016 when the same question was asked in a joint FDU – New Jersey Farm Bureau poll. In that poll, 95% said the farming industry was “somewhat” or “very” important to the state’s economy, no different than the 94% saying so in the current poll.
New Jersey residents also oppose farmland being taken by municipalities via eminent domain in order to build affordable housing. This issue came to public attention recently after a public outcry in Cranbury Township (Middlesex County) when the town designated a working historic farm as an affordable housing site.
Seventy-nine percent of voters in the state say that municipalities should not be able to take farmland for such purposes, with only 13% saying it should be allowed. Opposition was equally high among Democrats (78%) and Republicans (82%).
“Building more affordable housing is already a tricky issue in New Jersey,” said Cassino. “But even if voters want more housing, they’re not willing to let farmland be taken in order to get it.”
The FDU Poll also collaborated with the NJFB on other questions in a poll conducted earlier this year. One asked respondents about the safety of the food they buy, while another asked about food insecurity.
Seventy-six percent of voters say that they are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” that the fruits and vegetables they buy at the store are safe to eat. “This finding affirms the message contained in the state’s Jersey Fresh promotion program,” said the Farm Bureau president.
Another question tested the level of food insecurity among New Jersey households. More than a third of New Jersey voters (37%) say that they have struggled to feed their families over the past year. Younger voters are more likely to have struggled with the cost of food than older voters.
“The cost of food has always been a concern. Even in a state as wealthy as New Jersey, food insecurity is a concern among many New Jerseyans,” said Liz Thompson, the executive director of Farm Bureau.
NJFB President Allen Carter noted that New Jersey’s state budget contains funds to purchase produce from local farmers, for distribution to those in need via food banks and a network of soup kitchens and food pantries.
“New Jersey has dedicated an increasing amount of funds for this purpose in recent years, and the federal USDA should do likewise,” Carter said.
The NJ Farm Bureau and the FDU Poll have collaborated on polling key agricultural issues on a continuous basis for more than 20 years. The research has consistently documented the popular support in New Jersey for farmers and farming, and has provided vital input to Farm Bureau’s work as the voice of agriculture in the Legislature and in local policy.
The survey was conducted between July 17 and 23 using a list of 806 registered voters in New Jersey carried out by Braun Research of Princeton, New Jersey. Contact attempts were limited to registered voters who had voted in one or both of the last two NJ gubernatorial elections or were newly registered. The poll had a sampling error of +/-3.4 percentage points, at a 95% confidence interval.
