Poll: Most New Jerseyans don’t know anything about the state budget

In yet another indication that the failures of New Jersey’s old media and the absence of in-state network television affiliates have created a news desert, 53% of residents haven’t heard anything about the proposed state budget that captivates political insiders and threatens to create a rift between Gov. Phil Murphy and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.

An additional 23% say they know just a little about the state budget, while 16% say they’ve heard some details; a mere 4% of New Jerseyans claim they know a lot about it.

Despite the lack of knowledge about the budget proposal, when the Corporate Business Tax (CBT) is explained, 50% support an extension, and 41% want to let it expire.

Democrats (58%) and independents (59%) want to extend the CBT, but 61% of Republicans prefer it to expire.

More than half (51%) of New Jerseyans want to see public school funding evenly distributed, while 44% favor giving more to schools in lower property tax communities.

Asked a different way, 49% support more public school funding in lower-income communities, while 47% would rather see the money distributed evenly.

“The economy and education have always been two of the most contentious issues in New Jersey, so residents’ division on the corporate business tax expiration and the school funding formula comes as no surprise,” said Ashley Koning, the poll director. “These are two of the most talked-about topics of the next budget, and each have wide-ranging implications for the state’s future. The results also show just how hard it is to resolve policy issues in a way that satisfies everyone when, like most of politics nowadays, public opinion is starkly divided.”

The poll was conducted between April 27 and May 5 with a sample size of 1,002 adults and a margin of error of +/- 3.6%.

*The exact wording of the CBT question: “The current state budget proposal lets a corporate business tax on New Jersey’s highest-earning businesses – in other words, those making a net profit above $1 million – expire at the end of 2023. Some say this would [ROTATE: make New Jersey more appealing for businesses to come here, give businesses in the state more money to create jobs and invest in equipment, and ultimately lower consumer costs.] Others say this would [only help big businesses that could otherwise afford the tax, eliminate a source of funding for the state budget, and possibly endanger funding for key programs and services.]  What do you think?  Should New Jersey [let the corporate business tax expire at the end of this year], or should New Jersey [extend the corporate business tax]?

** First school funding question: “ In the proposed state budget, a majority of public school districts in New Jersey will see an increase in state aid, but some will see a decrease, and some will see no change at all. This is due to a school funding formula that calculates how much additional money the state needs to provide for a quality education based on things like a district’s local property tax revenues, enrollment size, and student needs.  Some people say that [ROTATE: schools in communities with lower property taxes should get more state aid than schools in communities with higher property taxes.] Others say that [state aid should be distributed evenly among all school districts.] What do you think?  Should [lower-taxed communities be given more state aid], or should [state aid be distributed evenly]?”

*** Second school funding question: In the proposed state budget, a majority of public school districts in New Jersey will see an increase in state aid, but some will see a decrease, and some will see no change at all. This is due to a school funding formula that calculates how much additional money the state needs to provide for a quality education based on things like a district’s local property tax revenues, enrollment size, and student needs. Some people say that schools in [ROTATE: lower-income communities should get more state aid than schools in higher-income communities.]  Others say that [state aid should be distributed evenly among all school districts.] What do you think?  Should [lower-income communities be given more state aid], or should [state aid be distributed evenly]?”