TRENTON — New Jersey voters are split almost down the middle on what they think of Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget and are overwhelmingly in favor of increasing tax rates on millionaires, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning. Forty-five percent of voters are pleased with the budget Christie outlined in an address last week, while 48 percent...
TRENTON — New Jersey voters are split almost down the middle on what they think of Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget and are overwhelmingly in favor of increasing tax rates on millionaires, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning.
Forty-five percent of voters are pleased with the budget Christie outlined in an address last week, while 48 percent are displeased.
“While the national media give the governor plaudits for making tough budget choices, Garden Staters are not completely pleased, showing the same polarized opinions that we’ve seen all along,” said poll director David Redlawsk.
Most voters said they support a tax surcharge on “very high income residents” to help close the budget gap, which Christie vetoed last year but Democrats are considering attempting again this year. Seventy-two percent of voters support the measure, while 26 percent oppose it.
Voters are evenly split on whether public workers should pay more for their health benefits. But a majority support overhauling the pension system by increasing contributions and cutting benefits.
“While voters are more than willing to have public employees see significant cuts in pension and health benefits, they also strongly believe the sacrifice should be shared,” said Redlawsk. “While the governor uses the mantra of shared sacrifice, voters specifically believe that costs should also be paid by those at the top of the income scale.”
Most voters also said they wanted Christie to compromise “as needed” rather than “stick to his beliefs.
Rutgers-Eagleton surveyed 811 registered voters by telephone from Feb. 24 to Feb. 26. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. to restore a fifth of slashed state aid for schools under Gov. Christie's budget
• N.J. municipalities are awarded same aid amounts as last year
• N.J. education officials continue to worry despite Christie's proposed increase of school aid
• Gov. Christie to beef up state aid for schools by $250M, sources say
• Christie says his proposed budget represents 'new normal' of not blindly funding commitments
View full sizeNew Jerseyan's split down the middle in opinion poll on Governor Christie's budget.