A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Thursday shows 85% of New Jersey residents are either “very” (52%) dissatisfied or “somewhat” (33%) dissatisfied with how the state is handling the high cost of living and affordability – an increase of 10 percentage points since 2017.
The poll, which measured voter satisfaction on a wide range of state issues, also found overwhelming dissatisfaction regarding taxes. In all, 80% reported being either “very” (53%) or “somewhat” (27%) dissatisfied with taxes.
“While dissatisfaction on taxes has remained pretty constant throughout the past decade, according to our polling, dissatisfaction on cost of living and affordability in the state has gone up by 10 points since 2017,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
“Affordability has become a defining issue in New Jersey, and especially in this year’s governor’s race,” Konig said. “How each candidate interprets and tackles the issue will be key to persuading and turning out voters.”
On state budgeting and spending, 57% of residents said they were “very” (27%) or “somewhat” (30%) dissatisfied. Mass transit also received low marks from 54% of residents, with 22% “very” dissatisfied and 32% “somewhat” dissatisfied.
The poll was conducted from June 13 to June 16, which was prior to NJ TRANSIT’s July 1 fare hike and the June 30 enactment of the finalized $58.8 billion state budget, which includes higher taxes on cigarettes, online gambling and sports betting, as well as higher realty transfer fees on homes sold for over $2 million.
Polling results were more mixed on other state issues. For example, on the state economy and jobs, 48% said they were “very” (17%) or “somewhat” (31%) dissatisfied, while 44% said they were “very” (6%) or “somewhat” (38%) satisfied. Satisfaction on the handling of this issue has declined by 11 points since 2022, Konig said.
Positive views slightly outweighed negative views on other issues, though in some cases it was not statistically significant.
On healthcare, 49% said they were “very” (9%) or “somewhat” (40%) satisfied, while 45% said they were “very” (18%) or “somewhat” (27%) dissatisfied. Opinions on healthcare have reverted to 2017 levels after a bump in satisfaction in 2022, Konig said.
On crime and safety, a total of 51% said they were “very” (8%) or “somewhat” (43%) satisfied while 45% said they were “very” (21%) or “somewhat” (25%) dissatisfied. Positive views on the state’s handling of crime have gone down in the past decade, while negative views have gone up, Konig said.
On education and schools, 47% said they were “very” (13%) or “somewhat” (34%) satisfied while 41% said they were either “very” (18%) or “somewhat” (23%) dissatisfied. Once a high point for the state, there has been a double-digit decline in satisfaction on this issue and a corresponding double-digit increase in dissatisfaction since 2022, Konig said.
“New Jerseyans are in a state of malaise when it comes to how Trenton is handling a number of key statewide issues,” Konig said.
Residents are either “net negative or divided on every topic,” Konig said. “New Jersey’s discontent sets the stage for an interesting governor’s race ahead, where frustration with both state and national politics will compete for the spotlight – and ultimately, for votes.”
The statewide poll of 621 adults had a margin of error of +/- 5.4 percentage points.
