Secret Convention

see also:
Tabular Results
Survey Details
Republican Response
Democratic Response

According to the most recent survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, 61% of New Jersey voters think that a state Constitutional Convention to try to deal with property taxes is a good idea. By a margin of 70% to 21% voters also say that a convention should not focus exclusively on taxes but should also deal with issues that affect state spending.

In January of this year, PublicMind reported that 66% of voters supported the idea. After three months, some legislative hearings, and the start of a campaign for governor and General Assembly, the notion of a convention continues to appeal across parties, ideologies, gender and ages. However, half of voters also report that they have heard nothing about such a proposal and another quarter say they’ve heard little. Only one in four voters claims to have heard “some” or “a lot” about it.

Voters who have heard more about the convention notion are also more likely to say that it’s a bad idea: 38% of voters who have heard “quite a lot” about it say such a convention is a bad idea, while only 17% of those who’ve heard “nothing at all” say it’s a bad idea.

“Basically, it’s a complicated idea that might have unintended consequences,” said Peter Woolley, professor of political science and director of the poll. “For some legislators it’s hard to talk about because the need for a convention might imply that lawmakers have not been up to the task of dealing with property taxes. Others just don’t want to get near the third rail of New Jersey politics that income taxes and school spending formulas have become.”

Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind poll of 800 registered voters statewide was conducted from April 4 to April 10 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Poll Analysis

Contacts:

Bruce Larson 973.769.1401

Peter Woolley 973.670.3239

Radio actuality line: (201) 692-2846.

For more information, please call (201) 692-7032.