Vacationers line up to purchase beach tags in Ocean City.
Most New Jersey residents believe that the beaches at the Jersey Shore should be free, according to a poll released Thursday by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.
Half of the residents think the cost of beach tags to access their nearest beach is too high, but about 1 in 5 residents, or 21 percent, said the price is reasonable. Only 3 percent of those polled said beach tag prices are too low.
As for their opinion on beach tags in general, a majority, or 65 percent, think beaches are a public resource and that they should be free to New Jersey residents. But 30 percent of them think beachgoers should pay for access to generate revenue for essential services.
The opinion of residents in the Jersey Shore region, defined as those in Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean counties, differed from those in other parts of the state. A higher rate of residents in shore counties, 40 percent, said beachgoers should pay to access the beach, compared to those in non-shore counties, or 27 percent.
“Residents in shore counties likely see beach tags as a way to manage crowds and reduce their local tax burden by bringing in other revenue to pay for upkeep, so it makes sense that they’re more amenable to charging than inland New Jerseyans,” said Alyssa Maurice, head of research at the Hughes Center. “It’s notable, though, that a majority in the shore region still think beaches should be free.”
Residents in central New Jersey, whose nearest beaches are in Ocean or Monmouth counties, where a season beach badge can exceed $100, were more likely to say the cost of beach tags is too expensive, 58 percent, compared to those in southern New Jersey, 46 percent, where season badges for many nearby shore points are around $30.
Half of New Jersey residents plan to travel out of state this summer and slightly more, 53 percent, plan to visit destinations along the Jersey Shore this season, the poll found. More than one-third said they will not be travelling out of state or visiting the Jersey Shore, while about 10 percent were not sure of their plans for the summer.
A slim majority of residents, or 53 percent, said the economy or costs impacted their decisions about traveling this season, while 43 percent said that did not play a role in their decision making. As many as 39 percent of residents said concerns about air travel impacted their plans, while 57 percent said that was not a factor, according to the poll results.
In terms of their current financial situation, a plurality of 49 percent of residents said their financial standing is about the same as it was this time last year, while 29 percent said it is worse, and 19 percent said it is better.
This is reflected in the residents budgeting for recreational activities at the shore. Compared to their spending last summer, a plurality, or 47 percent, said they expect to spend about the same amount of money on shore attractions this year, while more than one-fourth, or 28 percent, said they plan to spend less and 11 percent said they plan to spend more than they did last year.
Nearly half, or 49 percent, of residents agreed that there are adequate affordable recreational activities in their community. Just over one-third, or 35 percent, of residents disagreed with that statement and nearly the same rate, 32 percent, said they have had to forgo recreational plans this summer due to the cost. However, 62 percent of them said they have not had to decline any plans.
The poll of 606 New Jersey residents was conducted June 18-25 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
You can find the full results here.
Sea Isle City beach tag inspector Carole Yoder, right, says hello to brothers Daniel and Andrew Barnett and their grandmother, Rita Fox.
