GALLOWAY, N.J. — A new poll coming out of liberal hotbed Stockton University could mean bad news for Republicans and Trump voters. Or the results could just tell it was a lousy poll that missed the mark.
The poll, done by the Stockton Polling Institute at the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, paints a not-so-nice picture of the Republican party and Trump’s agenda in New Jersey.
Let’s keep in mind a few things. Past polls from Stockton have told us New Jerseyans favor offshore wind farms. They also told us abortion was the number one issue in the 2024 Presidential Election. They also showed a 50% to 43% outcome in favor of Kamala Harris in that same election.
So let’s take the results with a grain of salt.
According to that new poll, a majority of New Jersey voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance, while Democrats are grappling with criticism over their response to national challenges, according to a new Stockton University poll released Wednesday.
The poll by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy found 54% of voters said the country is on the wrong track, compared to 37% who said it’s heading in the right direction. On Trump’s performance, 52% of respondents rated it as poor, while just 26% said he was doing an excellent job.
Key Points
- 54% of New Jersey voters say the country is headed in the wrong direction.
- Approval ratings for Trump, J.D. Vance and Elon Musk are underwater.
- 63% of Democrats disapprove of their party’s performance in Congress.
Economic pessimism remains high, with 62% of voters saying the economy is getting worse. That includes 59% of independents and 94% of Democrats. Alyssa Maurice, head of research at the Hughes Center, said, “The economy was the top priority for voters going into the November election… so this pessimism eight weeks in is a big vulnerability for this administration.”
The poll, which surveyed 702 voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points, also showed that only 34% of Democrats approve of their party’s congressional performance, compared to 83% of Republicans who support their own representatives in Congress.
When asked about key issues, 35% of voters cited the economy, inflation, or cost of living as their top concern. Authoritarianism and threats to democracy followed at 13%, and border security came in at 9%.
Despite broad support (51%) for reducing federal spending, most voters opposed cutting government staff or the methods used to implement those cuts. However, majorities favored increased spending on Medicare, Social Security, veterans benefits, and education. Foreign aid was the only area where a plurality (48%) wanted cuts.
On other issues, 53% said transgender athletes in K–12 schools should compete based on sex assigned at birth. A majority (56%) view diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts positively, and 57% believe U.S. alliances are mutually beneficial. Most voters also rejected Trump’s idea of annexing territories like Greenland or Canada.
Even as New Jersey voters criticize the Trump administration, frustration with the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership is rising, according to the poll.
