New Jerseyans approved of Gov. Phil Murphy’s handling Covid issues, with 66% saying he did a good job and just 27% believing he did a bad job, according to a Monmouth University poll released on Thursday.
Support for Murphy’s performance during a global health pandemic – and 57% job approval ratings – appear to bode well for the governor’s re-election bid this year, as long as the state continues on the current trajectory and doesn’t face setbacks in September and October.
Nearly one-third of New Jersey Republicans (31%) approve of Murphy’s handling of the pandemic, along with 63% of independents and 90% of Democrats. Regionally, his pandemic approvals are at 74%-19% in North Jersey, 66%-32% in Central Jersey, and 52%-35% in South Jersey.
President Joe Biden gets 65%-25% approvals for his handling of the pandemic, and more than half the state (53%) said New Jersey is doing better than other states in dealing with Covid issues; 23% say the state is doing worse.
According to the Monmouth poll, 58% of New Jerseyans Murphy’s plan to ease Covid restrictions.
“Most New Jerseyans are ready to see the state reopen,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “The problem is, we still have a number of residents who are hesitant or downright opposed to getting the vaccine.”
A majority of New Jerseyans (54%) want New Jersey schools to begin the school year this fall fully open for in-person instruction, with just 7% wanting to remain fully remote. The rest prefer a hybrid.
Men (56%-34%) are slightly more favorable toward in-person school openings than women (52%-40%). White adults are overwhelmingly supportive (69%-24%), but that number drops considerably in communities of color. Among Black, Hispanic and Asian New Jerseyans, 35% want schools to be reopened fully in-person, while 53% prefer a hybrid.
But mandatory vaccinations for children as a condition of in-person school attendance is mixed: 50% approve of requiring children to be vaccinated and 46% don’t like it
Among independents, support for mandated vaccines for children is upside-down at 45%-52%.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of New Jersey adults polled support the plan to loosen restrictions on outdoor gatherings by raising the cap from 200 to 500 people an upping the seating limit at outdoor arenas from 30% capacity to 50%.
Most New Jerseyans are satisfied with the state’s vaccine rollout, with 33% very satisfied and 46% somewhat satisfied. The number somewhat dissatisfied is 9%, while 10% are very dissatisfied.
Independents are satisfied by a 75%-23% margin. That number is at 78% among men and 79% for women.
More than six out of ten New Jersey adults (63%) say they have already received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 14% say they will never be vaccinated.
The number of people vaccinated fluctuates by political party in New Jersey: 70% of Democrats, 60% of independents, and 54% of Republicans. More than two out of ten Republicans (22%) say they will likely never be vaccinated.
But among Black, Hispanic and Asian state residents, the number of people receiving the vaccine drops to 58%.
“Looking at the differences in attitudes among New Jersey’s diverse communities, we may need to focus more on access than opposition to explain the varying vaccination rates,” Murray said.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted from April 29 to May 4 with a sample size of 706 adults and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7%.