Poll shows NJ voters fault utility companies and Gov. Murphy for rising electric bills
MADISON, NJ – New Jersey voters frustrated over higher electricity costs are most likely to blame utility companies, with Governor Phil Murphy also taking a significant share of the criticism, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll conducted with the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey.
When asked who was most responsible for the price hikes, 26% pointed to utility companies and 19% to Murphy.
Ten percent blamed energy producers.
“The narrative about these price increases is still very much up in the air,” said Dan Cassino, a Professor of Government and Politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and the Executive Director of the FDU Poll. “But the fact that we’re not seeing movement in how people view the supply side of the issue points to a real lack of leadership on these matters.”
Partisan divides were clear: more than half of Republicans blamed the governor or state legislature, while Democrats largely faulted utility companies and the federal government.
The survey also found little change in public opinion on how to meet the state’s growing energy demands, particularly from projects like cryptocurrency and AI data centers. Support for nuclear power (34%) and natural gas plants (29%) has remained steady since February, while the share of voters saying the state should not build such data centers rose from 19% to 25%.
“The bottom line is that people in New Jersey don’t really know why their electric bills are going up, so they’re blaming whoever they don’t like,” said Cassino. “Republicans blame Democrats in state government; Democrats blame Trump and what they see as greedy companies.”
Partisan preferences on energy policy also stayed consistent: Democrats strongly favored green energy, Republicans leaned toward natural gas and nuclear, and independents showed growing reluctance toward expanding natural gas.
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Key Points
- 26% of NJ voters blame utility companies, 19% blame Gov. Murphy for higher electric bills
- Public opinion on energy sources remains stable, with slight increase in opposition to new data centers
- Democrats favor green energy, Republicans prefer natural gas and nuclear power