Background Memo  

The survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind was conducted by telephone from Jan. 2 through Jan. 9 using a randomly selected sample of 800 registered voters statewide aged 18 and over. The sampling error for 800 adults is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling error. This kind of error, which cannot be measured, arises from a number of factors including, but not limited to, non-response (eligible individuals refusing to be interviewed), question wording, the order in which questions are asked, and variations among interviewers. PublicMind interviews are conducted by TMR, Inc. of Parsippany, NJ. Professionally trained interviewers use a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) System. Random selection is achieved by computerized random-digit dialing. This technique gives every person with a phone number (including those with unlisted numbers) an equal chance of being selected. Registered voters are screened through a series of questions. Results are mathematically weighted to match known demographics.

The wording and order of the questions included in this release are as follows:

Question: Now let’s think about the best and worst governors of New Jersey. In your opinion, who has been the best governor of New Jersey..[rotate names]…or someone else?

• Jim McGreevey
• Christie Whitman
• Jim Florio
• Tom Kean
• Brendan Byrne
• Richard Hughes

Question: In your opinion, who has been the worst governor of New Jersey…[rotate names]…or someone else?

• Jim McGreevey
• Christie Whitman
• Jim Florio
• Tom Kean
• Brendan Byrne
• Richard Hughes

see also:
Survey Analysis
Thigpen's Analysis
Salmore's Analysis
Tabular Results