More than two-thirds of New Jersey voters are dissatisfied with the current state of the economy, and 39% say their family’s financial situation is worse than it was one year ago, according to a Stockton University poll released Friday.
Most New Jersey voters, or 58 percent, think the country is headed in the wrong direction, while one-third think it is on the right track. These rates mirror what a Stockton poll found this time last year, although partisan sentiment has flipped.
Last fall under former President Joe Biden, it was Republican discontent driving the findings, with 91 percent saying the country was headed in the wrong direction, and this year with President Donald Trump at the helm, about the same rate (89 percent) of Democrats say the country is off course.
When it comes to the trajectory of New Jersey, voters are not quite as pessimistic. A plurality of 48 percent said the state is going in the wrong direction, the same rate as last fall. The rate of voters who said the state is on the right track did drop by 8 percentage points from 38 percent last September to 30 percent in this poll.
“We know cost of living is a key issue for New Jersey voters, so one thing that could account for that change is the rise in utility costs,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and head of research. In a Stockton poll released in July, 38 percent of residents said their electric bills have gone up significantly in the last year and while Democrats primarily blame utility companies for the increase, most Republicans said elected officials in the state are at fault.
Gov. Phil Murphy fares better than Trump on approval ratings, with New Jersey voters split evenly at 42 percent. Trump’s approval is underwater in the state. Most voters (55 percent) disapprove of the job he’s doing as president, while 38 percent approve.
“That’s about where his ratings are nationally according to some recent polling,” Maurice said.
About one-third of voters said they have a favorable impression of the Republican candidate for New Jersey governor, Jack Ciattarelli, while 38 percent have an unfavorable view. Voters were split almost evenly on Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill, with 34 percent saying they view her favorably and 35 percent saying they have an unfavorable impression. Voters are still getting to know the candidates, however. For both candidates, about one-fourth of voters said they are not familiar enough to give their take.
“New Jersey is one of few states to hold its gubernatorial election in odd years that don’t align with federal races, so voters are paying less attention and turnout tends to be much lower,” Maurice said. “There’s still an upcoming debate that could get the candidates on more voters’ radar.”
The first debate held on Sept. 21 focused primarily on affordability issues for good reason. A plurality of 45 percent of voters said taxes (25 percent), cost of living (12 percent) or the economy in general (9 percent) is the most important issue to them in this year’s election, followed by education and immigration tied at 6 percent.
“Property taxes are an evergreen issue in New Jersey,” Maurice said. A Stockton poll released in April this year asked voters to weigh in on policies to address housing affordability and increasing property tax relief garnered the most support at 62 percent, the only policy with bipartisan support.
The poll of 705 registered voters in New Jersey was conducted Sept. 25-30 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points.
New Jersey’s AI Future:
One of the secondary issues mentioned in the first debate included New Jersey’s efforts to become a leader in artificial intelligence. Audience members also asked questions related to data privacy and regulatory guardrails. The poll found that about one in five voters (19 percent) use AI chatbots or image generators like ChatGPT daily, 18 percent use them weekly, 21 percent use them at least once a month and 40 percent said they never use them.
A plurality of 42 percent think society’s increased use of AI will make their life worse, 27 percent said it will improve their life and 15 percent said they don’t think it will impact them.
Voters have soured a bit on the technology since this question was asked in a March 2024 Stockton poll when 36 percent said they thought it would make their life worse.
“The increased scrutiny on the energy use required by data centers is likely part of the reason behind this slight shift, especially since the state is already struggling to meet energy demand,” Maurice said.
Among potential policy priorities related to AI, a plurality of 27 percent said the state’s primary focus should be preventing misuse like misinformation or deepfakes, followed by protecting jobs and workers (19 percent) and protecting personal privacy (18 percent). Support for ensuring NJ is a leader in AI or investing in AI education or skills training for New Jerseyans was in the single digits.
Political Violence and Free Speech:
The vast majority of voters (71 percent) agreed political violence in this country is a big problem after prominent figures on both sides of the aisle have been targeted this year.
Voters said several entities bear some responsibility in instigating such violence, including the Democratic party (67 percent), extremists on the left (50 percent), news media (50 percent) and extremists on the right (49 percent). The high rate of blame for Democrats is driven by the fact that a larger share of Democrats held their own party accountable than Republicans did their party.
Independents seem to be most affected by the polarized political climate with as many as 46 percent saying they are not too comfortable sharing their political opinions publicly. Fewer Democrats (32 percent) and Republicans (27 percent) said the same.
With clashes over free speech and censorship playing out in recent weeks, voters have taken a more absolutist stance, with 57 percent (including majorities of all party affiliations) saying free speech should be protected even if it’s considered to be offensive or hateful to others, while 31 percent said protecting people from discrimination or harassment is more important than protecting unlimited free speech.
Public Health:
Vaccine schedules were also raised during the debate at a time when immunization rates among schoolchildren in New Jersey are falling and public health officials at the federal level have released controversial guidance around medication use during pregnancy.
A plurality of 43 percent of voters said they are not at all confident in the federal government to provide accurate public health guidance. Republicans place more trust in the federal government’s recommendations, with 59 percent saying they’re at least somewhat confident, while 14 percent of Democrats and 25 percent of Independents said the same.
You can find the full polling results here.
