New Jersey Voters Say 3-1 Freeze State Worker Wages, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Back Layoffs Almost 2-1
@nowhere.com Jim E
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November 24, 2009 - New Jersey Voters Say 3-1 Freeze State Worker
Wages, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Back Layoffs Almost
2-1
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New Jersey voters support 75 - 21 percent, including 70 - 26 percent
among Democrats, a wage freeze for state workers to help balance the
state budget, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released
today, three weeks after Christopher Christie toppled Democratic Gov.
Jon Corzine. A wage freeze wins 75 - 20 percent support from
independent voters and 79 - 16 percent backing from Republicans.
Voters in union households back a wage freeze 62 - 33 percent.
Garden State voters also support 61 - 33 percent layoffs for state
workers to help balance the state budget, the independent Quinnipiac
(KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Support ranges from 50 - 43
percent among Democrats to 65 - 29 percent among independent voters to
69 - 25 percent among Republicans. Voters in union households split 49
- 48 percent.
A total of 97 percent of New Jersey voters say the state's budget
problems are "very serious" or "somewhat serious."
Cut programs and services to balance the budget, 68 percent say, as 23
percent say raise taxes instead. Service cuts win 46 - 43 percent
support from Democrats, 73 - 18 percent backing from independent
voters and 86 - 8 percent backing from Republicans.
"If Governor-elect Christopher Christie wants to consider a wage
freeze, New Jersey voters, even Democrats and union households, say
send out for ice," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac
University Polling Institute.
"And if he's thinking about swinging the ax, voters will help sharpen
it.
"Garden State voters agree with their new Governor - overwhelmingly -
that the state's in a fiscal mess. And they agree he should use the
ax, not the tax, to solve the problem."
A total of 73 percent of New Jersey voters are "somewhat dissatisfied"
or "very dissatisfied" with the way things are going in the state, the
worst satisfaction rate ever measured in the Garden State. And
incumbents are paying the price of this dissatisfaction, several with
the lowest job approvals ever measured, as New Jersey voters:
�Approve 51 - 42 percent of President Barack Obama, a new low;
�Disapprove 59 - 31 percent of Gov. Corzine, his lowest ever as he
walks out the door;
�Disapprove 65 - 21 of the State Legislature as it begins a new term;
�Split 40 - 41 percent in their approval of U.S. Sen. Frank
Lautenberg, his worst ever;
�Split 36 - 37 percent on U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.
While voters were not asked a job approval rating for Governor-elect
Christie, he gets a mixed 36 - 25 percent favorability rating, with 37
percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion.
The top target for budget cuts is economic development, 41 percent of
voters say, followed by 30 percent for social services, 11 percent for
education and 7 percent for health care.
If taxes must be raised, start with tolls, 30 percent say, followed by
28 percent for raising sales taxes, 15 percent for gas taxes and 13
percent for income taxes.
Voters give conflicting messages on other budget measures: 60 percent
say keep state aid to local government and schools the same, as 20
percent say increase it and 16 percent say cut it; 45 percent say keep
tax rebates the same, as 29 percent say increase them and 21 percent
say cut; 62 - 37 percent oppose hiking the gas tax for road and
transit improvements.
New Jersey voters oppose school vouchers 54 - 43 percent and oppose
expanding charter schools 55 - 38 percent, but they support 51 - 45
percent expanding state-funded early childhood education. Republican
voters support vouchers 52 - 45 percent and oppose expanding charters
53 - 41 percent.
"Christie backs vouchers and charter schools, but voters don't. Even
Republicans are lukewarm on vouchers and opposed to expanding charter
schools," Carroll said.
From November 17 - 22, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,615 New Jersey
voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D.,
conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and nationally as a public service and for
research. For more data or RSS feed-
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow
us on Twitter.
For the quetions and results go to:
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1299.xml?ReleaseID=1399