New Jersey Voters Rank Economy No. 1 Issue, Followed by Immigration, Character and Reproductive Rights

Rutgers-Eagleton Poll finds voters are negative about state and national economy, having some difficulties affording basic needs; more liberal on most social issues, except border security

When it comes to what's most important in deciding who to vote for in the 2024 presidential election, New Jersey registered voters - much like the rest of the nation - say it's the economy, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.

Voters cite the economy or fiscal issues as No. 1 (22%), followed by immigration (13%), candidate character (11%) and then reproductive rights (9%). Voters round out their top 10 issues with opposition to the other candidate (5%), candidate competence (5%), saving or preserving democracy (4%), foreign policy and international relations (3%), human rights (4%) and crime and safety (2%).

When asked the importance of a variety of top election issues to their vote choice, nearly all voters once again consider the economy as "very" (85%) or "somewhat" (12%) important. Health care is almost universally recognized as important (74% "very," 20% "somewhat").

About 9 in 10 say the same about foreign policy (63% "very," 29% "somewhat"), violent crime (72% "very," 18% "somewhat"), and immigration (66% "very," 24% "somewhat"). More than 8 in 10 say gun policy (61% "very," 25% "somewhat") and Supreme Court appointments (61% "very," 25% "somewhat") are important to their vote this election cycle.

Slightly less than 8 in 10 say abortion is "very" (58%) or "somewhat" (20%) important. Three-quarters say racial and ethnic inequality (52% "very," 24% "somewhat") and climate change (47% "very," 25% "somewhat") are important to their vote.

Time and time again, the economy is top of mind for voters in the Garden State, regardless of election cycle - though partisanship does influence whether a voter places it as their No. 1.

Ashley Koning

Director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling

"It's no surprise that New Jersey voters are echoing what have been considered this election's biggest issues nationally," said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Time and time again, the economy is top of mind for voters in the Garden State, regardless of election cycle - though partisanship does influence whether a voter places it as their No. 1. While independents and especially Republicans put the economy first and immigration second, the economy comes in third place for Democrats, who are more concerned about a candidate's character and reproductive issues."

Economic Indicators

Voters say they are generally negative about the state of the national economy: 38% describe it as "poor," 29% say "only fair" and 26% "good;" 4% say "excellent." Fifty percent say the nation's economy has gotten worse in the past year, while about a quarter (23%) saying it has gotten better; another quarter (24%) say it is about the same as it was a year ago.

Voters are slightly more positive about New Jersey's economy, though still negative overall: 29% rate it as "poor," 33% "only fair," 31% "good," and 4% "excellent." Forty-two percent think New Jersey's economy has gotten worse over the past year, 18% say it has gotten better and 35% say it is about the same.

Regarding their personal finances, 47% say they are "holding steady financially," 42% say they are "falling behind" and 10% say they are "getting ahead." More than half say they are doing about the same financially as they were a year ago (56%), 3 in 10 say they are worse off now than a year ago (31%) and about one in 10 (11%) say they are better off.

Two-thirds say they find it difficult at some level to afford education costs, including student loans (38% "very," 27% "somewhat"). More than half of voters say they find it "very" or "somewhat" difficult to afford rent or mortgage payments (22% "very," 32% "somewhat") and groceries and other food (21% "very," 33% "somewhat"); half say the same about health care and medical costs (21% "very," 28% "somewhat"). More than 4 in 10 have some level of difficulty affording utility bills (15% "very," 31% "somewhat") and gasoline or other transportation costs (13% "very," 30% "somewhat").

Looking toward the future, 44% of voters say they will be doing about the same financially 12 months from now, 19% say they expect to be doing better and 11% say they will be doing worse. Twenty-six percent are uncertain.

Republicans, as compared with independents and especially Democrats, generally feel more negatively about the state of the economy, both nationally and statewide.

David Martin

Research assistant at Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling

"Republicans, as compared with independents and especially Democrats, generally feel more negatively about the state of the economy, both nationally and statewide," said David Martin, a research assistant at ECPIP. "Republicans are more likely to rate economic conditions negatively and believe the economy is worse off today than it was a year ago. It's unsurprising, then, that this voting bloc puts the economy right at the top of issues important to their vote in the 2024 election."

Where Voters Stand on the Most Important Issues

In weighing the importance of protecting the rights of Americans to own guns versus controlling gun ownership, just over 6 in 10 say controlling gun ownership is more important (62%), while 31% say protecting the right to own guns is more important. When controlling ownership is rephrased as "creating policies that limit who can access certain types of firearms or require firearms to be stored in certain ways," however, preference for this option increases (to 71%) and protecting the right to own firearms decreases slightly (to 25%).

"Words matter," said Kyle Morgan, a research associate at ECPIP. "While support for gun-related policies increases slightly among Democrats and Republicans alike when phrased as 'policies' instead of 'gun control,' there is a 19-point shift in support among independents."

In terms of abortion's legality, 33% of voters say it should be legal in all cases and 44% say it should be legal in most cases, while 15% say it should be illegal in most cases and 5% say it should be illegal in all cases.

When it comes to the future of abortion access in the United States, two-thirds of voters say they would prefer a federal law guaranteeing a nationwide right to abortion (66%), while 23% say they prefer letting states decide if and when abortion is legal in their respective state. Three percent say they would prefer a federal law banning abortion nationwide.

On another reproductive rights issue, which has gained more attention during the 2024 presidential race, voters in the Garden State are highly supportive of protecting access to in vitro fertilization, also known as IVF: 65% say they "strongly support" doing so and 19% say they "somewhat support" it. Five percent say they oppose protecting access to IVF (2% "strongly," 3% "somewhat").

Overall, most voters in New Jersey consider themselves supportive of rights for LGBTQ+ people (50% "very," 31% "somewhat"). Opinions are mixed on acceptance of transgender people, however: 28% say that society hasn't gone far enough in accepting trans individuals (28%), while 32% say society has gone too far in its acceptance and 21% say society has been about right when it comes to accepting people who are transgender.

Two-thirds of voters say the nation's population being made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions strengthens American society (66%). Ten percent say this weakens American society and 18% say it doesn't make much difference.

New Jersey voters tend to be supportive of progressive immigration measures, though have concerns about border security. Seven in 10 say they support approving a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people if they have no criminal record and certain requirements are met (41% "strongly," 29% "somewhat") and nearly 6 in 10 say they support allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S. legally as long as they have no criminal record and certain requirements are met (26% "strongly," 33% "somewhat").

Regardless of this support, 9 in 10 say they would like improved security along the nation's borders (66% "strongly," 23% "somewhat"). Voters are split when it comes to mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally - 49% say they are in support (28% "strongly," 21% "somewhat") versus 45% who say they are in opposition (18% "somewhat," 27% "strongly").

When it comes to foreign policy, around two-thirds of voters say they approve of the U.S. continuing to send humanitarian aid to Gaza (40% "strongly," 25% "somewhat"), while about a quarter say they disapprove (14% "somewhat," 12% "strongly").

Voters tend to be less supportive of providing military aid to other countries. About half say they approve of continuing to send equipment and weapons to Ukraine (26% "strongly," 25% "somewhat") and 41% say they disapprove (18% "somewhat," 23% "strongly"). Voters are split regarding sending military equipment and weapons to Israel - 46% say they approve (18% "strongly," 28% "somewhat") and 46% say they disapprove (21% "somewhat," 25% "strongly").

On environmental issues, most New Jersey voters say they believe the Earth's climate is changing - 79% versus 8% who say it isn't changing and 13% who say they are unsure. Nearly two-thirds say changing climate conditions contribute "a lot" to severe weather such as floods and storms (64%); 21% say "a little" and 6% say "not at all."

"Partisans take their expected sides when it comes to most of what we consider social issues," said Jessica Roman, director of data management and analysis at ECPIP. "Even in New Jersey, the supposed 'culture wars' fueled in the Trump era are alive and well. Democrats, and independents to a lesser extent, are more supportive of abortion's legality and LGBTQ+ rights and are more likely to believe in climate change compared with Republicans. Republicans, on the other hand, are more likely to support cracking down on immigration."

Results are from a statewide poll of 1,018 adults contacted through the probability-based Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points. The registered-voter subsample contains 929 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.

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