Most residents give NJ high marks

Most New Jersey residents think the state’s a good place to live, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday.

A little more than six-in-ten residents, 61% told pollsters the state was an excellent (15%) or good (45%) place to live.

Only 12% said the state was a poor place to call home, and 26% said it was fair.

The figures are a marked improvement from a Monmouth poll earlier this year, when only 50% of residents, a record low, gave the state high marks.

“It wasn’t looking good earlier this year as public sentiment about life in the Garden State hit a four-decade low,” Monmouth Poll director Patrick Murray said. “But those numbers have certainly bounced back, at least for now.”

Residents gave their towns and cities even higher marks, with 32% calling them excellent and 40% calling them good.

Most also feel safe in their neighborhoods. 68% said they felt very safe at night, while 27% said they felt somewhat safe and 5% said they did not feel safe at all.