Poll: Majority of New Jerseyans disapprove of Trump, say economy is worsening

A majority of New Jersey voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance and believe the economy is worsening, according to a Stockton University poll. 

The Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy poll of registered New Jersey voters found 52% rated the president’s performance as poor, while 37% rated his performance good or excellent.

Sixty-two percent of New Jerseyans, including one-in-five Republicans and 94% of Democrats, think the economy is worsening.

“The economy was the top priority for voters going into the November election, and Trump made it central to his campaign, so this pessimism eight weeks in is a big vulnerability for this administration,” Hughes Center Head of Research Alyssa Maurice said in a release.

Unsurprisingly, Democrats largely disapprove of the new Trump administration, but they also disapprove of Democratic members of Congress right now. While 83% of Republicans at least somewhat approve of GOP members of Congress, only 34% of Democrats approve of their party’s performance in Congress.

The finding appears to be a statistical confirmation of what’s been observed at town halls throughout the state and country: Democratic voters are by no means satisfied with their party’s resistance to the Trump administration and are hoping for a more aggressive response.

“Voters may not be pleased with this Republican administration, but Democrats may be in an even weaker position,” Maurice said. “Many of the people who cited concerns about the state of our democracy as their main issue also mentioned their frustration with the Democratic party’s response to these threats. We’re seeing that frustration borne out in the abysmal approval ratings for congressional Democrats from their own voters.”

A slight majority of voters, 51%, said they at least somewhat support efforts to reduce federal spending, but 51% also said they oppose firing federal staff, and 60% oppose how the administration has handled cost-cutting so far.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has joined or led several lawsuits against the Trump administration, including filings that challenge the mass firing of federal workers in several executive branch departments. 

The poll found 53% of voters believe transgender athletes in K-12 sports should compete in sports according to their sex at birth (36% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans, and 62% of independents). About one-in-five voters said they should participate in sports based on their gender identity, and 10% said they should be banned from sports altogether.

The poll also found 56% believe policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are mostly good, while one-third believe the policies are bad.

A majority of polled voters said they disapprove of top Republican leaders, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The poll found Trump’s approval ratings at 44% approve-55% disapprove, Vance’s at 40%-53%, and Elon Musk’s at 38%-59%.

The Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy polled 702 registered New Jersey voters for a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. The institute polled voters from March 18-22.