N.J. voters worry about misinformation, local news sources, poll finds

A majority of New Jersey voters worry about the spread of false or misleading information in the state, a poll found.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll of registered voters found that six in ten (61%) consider the spread of false or misleading information a “very big problem,” with another 22% considering the issue a “moderately big problem.”

“Across all demographic groups and, specifically, across the political aisle, New Jersey voters raise concerns about the spread of misinformation throughout the state,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and the director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University. “Three-quarters or more across the board label it a ‘big problem’ on some level. In an era of divisive politics, strong bipartisan agreement that misinformation is an issue is noteworthy.”

The respondents were united in their concerns, but information sources remain disparate. Of those polled, 77% said they got news from search engines, 75% got news from friends or family, and 71% received news from national news outlets. About six in ten said they get news from local TV broadcasts, 52% get information from local online outlets, and 48% from local radio or podcasts.

About four in ten receive news from public television like PBS, community newsletters, community organizations, Facebook, and government news outlets. Roughly 3 in 10 said they get news from Instagram and YouTube, with Nextdoor (23%), X (21%), religious communities (19%), and TikTok (17%) behind. The voters said they generally trust news organizations for local news more than social media.

Over two-thirds of New Jerseyans (67%) say they trust government news websites to learn accurate information.  A majority of the state trusts social media: 61% for X, 59% for YouTube and TikTok, and 51% of Instagram.

Voters offered differing experiences on the availability of local news coverage. Thirty-two percent said local coverage has increased, while 34% say local news has decreased, and 28% reported a similar presence. Democrats were more likely to say that local news coverage has decreased.

The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, a non-profit that helps fund local news organizations, commissioned the poll. New Jersey Globe Editor David Wildstein serves on the Civic Information Consortium’s Board of Directors.

“The role of local news is more important than ever for communities to keep track of the decisions that impact their day-to-day life the most,” said Lisa Sahulka, the consortium’s executive director. “As national newspapers diminish and misinformation spreads more rapidly, this poll shows that local news is still consumed by the majority via public access TV, online and print. There is also a great opportunity to reach new audiences via social media and new platforms, cementing local news in the daily media consumption habits of New Jerseyans.”

The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll surveyed 859 registered New Jersey voters from May 15 to May 19, with a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.