N.J. voters hopeful World Cup gives economic boon, worried about congestion, poll finds

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll found that though New Jerseyans expect the World Cup to boost the state’s economy, they are worried about traffic and transit issues caused by the eight matches that will be held in East Rutherford. 

A quarter of respondents said the event will help the state’s economy “a lot,” and 39% said the World Cup will help the economy “a little.” The others said it will either not matter or have a negative effect. Meanwhile, three-quarters of respondents said they are either “very” or “somewhat” worried about traffic stemming from the World Cup, and 64% said they are either very or somewhat worried about crowding on NJ Transit.

Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, said voters are seeing the potential trade-offs for the region.

“New Jersey voters see the World Cup as a likely economic win for the region, even as many are tuning out the tournament itself,” Koning said. “What they are paying attention to is what it will mean for getting around the state. Voters welcome the boost but are bracing for the traffic, the transit crowding, and the strain on local services that come with it.”

New Jersey’s World Cup matches start on June 13, when Brazil and Morocco face off in the group stage. MetLife Stadium will also hold three knockout-round matches, including the World Cup Final on July 19.

Six in 10 respondents said they were worried that emergency services could face congestion on match days.

Only 8% of respondents said they are very closely following the World Cup; 17% are following somewhat closely, 28% are following not too closely, and 45% said “not closely at all.”

Twenty-three percent of respondents said they think Brazil will win the World Cup, while 19% said they expect the United States to lift the trophy. Among those who said they are following the World Cup closely, France, Spain, and Argentina surpass the U.S. in terms of championship expectations, and the Americans get just 8% of backers.

Sportsbooks believe Spain and France hold the best odds of winning the tournament, giving the U.S. just 60-to-1 odds to win it all.

“New Jerseyans have relatively high hopes about the U.S.’s chances going into the tournament, though that optimism softens among those paying the closest attention,” said David Martin, a research associate at the Eagleton Center. “Fans following the tournament most closely tend to favor traditional heavyweights like Brazil, France, and Spain, but there is still plenty of optimism about this young U.S. team.”