Property taxes and economic issues, such as the cost of living, are the biggest top-of-mind concerns for New Jersey residents when thinking about the state’s most important issues, according to a new Monmouth University Poll.
About half of people in the state, 48%, want to leave the, with 43% of those citing the cost of living as a key factor in that decision.
This number is lower than in 2022 (59%), but in line with prior polling on this question between 2007 and 2014. Republicans (60%) and independents (57%) are more likely than Democrats (31%) to want to leave New Jersey.
Those under the age of 55 (57% age 18-34 and 54% age 35-54) are more likely than those age 55 and older (37%) to want to leave. Those earning over $100,000 a year (55%) are more likely than lower income earners (43% earning $50,000-$100,000 and 41% earning under $50,000) to feel the same.
Regardless of their desire to leave, 28% of New Jerseyans say it is very likely they will actually move out of the state at some point in their lives and another 27% say this is somewhat likely.
The poll finds little awareness of the yet to be implemented Stay NJ senior property tax cut program.
However, the results also suggest the program may lead some homeowners who want to leave the state to reconsider. In other poll findings, Monmouth’s benchmark Garden State Quality of Life Index has remained stable over the past year.
About half of Garden State residents mention some form of taxes when asked to name the most important issues facing New Jersey right now.
Property taxes (39%) tops this list, as it has on almost every occasion Monmouth has asked this top-of-mind question going back to 2009.
The second most frequently mentioned issue is the economy and cost of living (24%) which has not registered this high a concern since the 2009 gubernatorial election (27%). From 2012 to 2021, fewer New Jerseyans (between 10% and 19%) mentioned this as one of the state’s most pressing issues. There is little difference by political party in the number who name either property taxes or the economy as top issues in New Jersey.
The poll was conducted by telephone from February 29 to March 4, 2024 with 801 New Jersey adults and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.
Property taxes will need to be raised if the private school tax credit goes through. Even though it is a credit those taxes will need to be collected from someone.
Poll: Most New Jerseyans Say The Cost of Living Is Too High, But They Prefer Paying the Cost Of Living Over Not Paying The Cost and Dying
A new Monmouth University Poll finds that a majority of New Jerseyans believe the cost of living in NJ is “way too high”, but they would prefer to pay the high costs of living and to continue to live and stay alive, than not to pay the costs of living and to die with extra money in their pockets.
“It is definitely a strange trend that we’ve been seeing as of late,” said Monmouth University economics professor and world renowned philosopher, Dr. Frank Chelmer, “in which New Jerseyans appear to be willing to pay the high costs of living in order to remain alive for longer periods of time, and, in order to avoid hastening their demise.”
“It’s definitely a weird phenomenon,” Dr. Chelmer conceded, “New Jerseyans, for whatever reason, tend to choose life over death! I mean, it doesn’t make any sense at all! But the polls don’t lie! Go figure!”