As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeks to implement his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, a poll found New Jerseyans agree with many of the broad strokes of the platform.
A Stockton University poll found bipartisan majorities in New Jersey support banning certain food additives or dyes, increasing restrictions on pesticides, and banning processed foods from public school lunches.
“The MAHA movement is a sprawling umbrella that merges false or debunked claims, controversial rhetoric and anti-establishment sentiment with some more widely accepted ideas around food, health and wellness,” said Hughes Center Head of Research Alyssa Maurice. “It doesn’t fit neatly into an ideological box, and we’re seeing that in these poll results, which are surprisingly unifying on some measures.”
Respondents were less likely to express a lack of confidence in vaccines. 93% of Democrats, 54% of Republicans, and 63% of independents said it is “very important” for children to be vaccinated. Another 18%, including 32% of Republicans, said vaccinations for children are “somewhat important.”
The poll found more than 1 in 5 Republicans believe the risks of vaccines outweigh the benefits.
Kennedy has questioned the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, including the vaccine used to prevent measles. The CDC and medical experts report that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is 97% effective and rarely leads to serious health complications.
Slightly more than 60% of New Jerseyans said they have no or little confidence in the government to ensure the safety of the food supply. The poll found similar confidence levels regarding the safety of medical and pharmaceutical treatments.
The poll found 54% of New Jerseyans supported barring the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP benefits, known as food stamps. However, 54% of Democrats opposed that idea.
“Many of these agenda items were previously associated with the left and run counter to the Trump administration’s deregulatory approach to policymaking,” Maurice said. “Blue states like California led the way on food safety and other legislation meant to improve public health, but we’re now seeing similar bills emerge in Republican legislatures throughout the country. An unconventional coalition has formed on this, and New Jersey’s no exception.”
The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University polled 667 New Jersey voters from April 10-14 for a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
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