New Jersey residents know their state is imperfect but they’re proud to call it home, according to polling data released Monday. Although only 13 percent of residents called the Garden State an “excellent” place to live, 50 percent said they  take “a lot” of pride in living here, said the survey of 953 New Jersey adults from Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics.  And given the choice, an overwhelming majority – 77 percent – would continue to live in-state. “What we see is that the many good things about the state seem to outweigh frustrations for most residents,” said pollster David Redlawsk.

Another 39 percent of residents considered the state a “good” place to live, while 33 percent saud it is “only fair” and 15 percent called it “poor.” 

By a wide margin, state residents picked taxes as their biggest gripe about New Jersey. Thirty-seven percent said it was their least favorite thing about the state, while 15 percent picked traffic jams, and political corruption and the cost of living tied for third at 12 percent.

New Jersey’s location narrowly ranked number one among residents’ favorite things about the state, followed by the shore and by the environment/outdoors at 17 percent. 

The poll, conducted between March 31 and April 3, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.  North Jersey.