Madison, NJ – New Jersey voters remain firmly committed to the state’s full-service gasoline law, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll released Thursday. The survey found 64% of registered voters support keeping attendants at the pumps, while 24% favor allowing self-service, almost identical to the results recorded in 2012.
The findings reinforce New Jersey’s status as the only state in the nation that still requires gas station attendants to pump fuel for customers. Despite periodic legislative proposals to permit self-service, public opinion has remained remarkably stable over the past 14 years.
Poll shows little change since 2012
“At a time when everything seems unstable, it’s good to know that there are some things that just don’t change,” said Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and executive director of the FDU Poll. “New Jersey voters have never wanted to pump their own gas, and they still don’t want to pump their own gas.”
Support was strongest among women, with 74% favoring the current law compared with 56% of men. Even among male voters, however, a majority said they prefer to keep full-service stations. Younger voters also expressed stronger support than older residents, with 68% of those age 30 and younger backing the current system compared with 61% of seniors.
Differences emerge across demographic groups
Cassino said the gender gap has been a consistent feature of polling on the issue.
“In the past, full-service gas has been seen as a safety measure for women,” he said. “But the gap between men and women could also just be men saying that they like doing things with their cars.”
The survey also found Democrats were somewhat more likely than Republicans to support maintaining the current law, although researchers said much of that difference appears tied to age and gender rather than political ideology.
What happens next
The questions were included as part of a broader FDU survey experiment, and researchers noted the gasoline issue served as a nonpartisan filler task. Additional results from the larger study are expected to be released later.
The poll surveyed 1,211 registered New Jersey voters between June 23 and June 30 using text-to-web surveys. After weighting, the poll reported a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
Why it matters
New Jersey has long stood apart from the rest of the country by prohibiting self-service gasoline. While lawmakers periodically introduce legislation to allow drivers to pump their own gas, the latest FDU Poll suggests there continues to be broad public support for preserving the state’s longstanding full-service requirement.
