A year after offshore wind projects played a significant role in legislative elections, a new poll finds New Jersey voters don’t consider the projects a top priority.
About 17% of respondents said a candidate’s views on offshore wind would influence their vote “a great deal,” according to a poll from the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. The poll found that just over half of New Jerseyans strongly or somewhat support offshore wind projects, while about a third strongly or somewhat disapprove of the projects.
“No matter which side of the issue voters land on, they seem to agree that it’s not a top priority,” said Hughes Center Research Director Alyssa Maurice. “The opposition to offshore wind is particularly vocal and well-organized in New Jersey, but the poll shows that for most voters this issue doesn’t move the needle much.”
Controversy around a now-abandoned project dealt a major blow to public support of offshore wind last year. In 2019, as many as 77% of New Jerseyans supported such projects; last year the number plummeted to 50%, and this year’s poll showed just 52% support.
Danish energy company Ørsted pulled out of a plan to develop offshore wind farms last year after major efforts from state-level Democrats to subsidize the projects.
Support for offshore wind was split on partisan grounds. The poll found 74% of Democrats support the installation of wind turbines off the coast of New Jersey, compared to 28% of Republicans and 53% of independents.
The poll found that voters in coastal counties and offshore opponents were “more energized” and more likely to let the issue impact their vote.
The poll also identified a partisan split when planning for the future of energy production — a majority of Democrats believe expanding renewable energy production should take priority, while a majority of Republicans said expanding fossil fuel production should be the target.
The Hughes Center polled 616 registered voters in the state, with a margin of error of 3.9%.