Poll Finds Split Over Politics Is ‘Dirty’ or ‘Honorable’

January 18, 2023 by Dan McCue
Poll Finds Split Over Politics Is ‘Dirty’ or ‘Honorable’
New Jersey statehouse. (WIkimedia Commons)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — When it comes to the government, you can’t get much more divided than this.

According to a Monmouth University Poll released Wednesday 44% of respondents believe politics and government is “a dirty business,” while an equal number still consider engagement in both as “an honorable thing to do.”

The poll of 809 Garden State residents was conducted between Jan. 5 and 9.

And while the baseline rating for politics seems to be a wash, the pollsters note that the number of New Jersey residents who say politics is dirty has actually climbed significantly over the past 15 years, up from 32% in 2008.

Republicans (52%) and independents (52%) are more likely than Democrats (33%) to have a negative image of politics, but there were no significant generational differences in response to the question, the poll found.

When it came to comparing their state government to the federal government, just over one-third (36%) of respondents rated the quality of their state government as either excellent or good, while only 19% said the same about the federal government.

When asked to compare the two levels directly, 29% say the government in Trenton is better run and 9% say Washington works better, while the majority (57%) say the two governments are run about the same. 

Among New Jersey Democrats, 37% pick Trenton and 12% choose Washington as the better run government. Republicans are less likely to name either level (24% Trenton and 6% Washington), with the vast majority (68%) saying they are about the same. The views of independents are nearly identical to Republicans. 

It should also be noted that the New Jersey government rating, while low, is better than it was a decade ago (24% in 2010).

“A pox on both your houses say New Jerseyans,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a statement accompanying release of the poll.

“It may never be possible to get a majority of the public to view the government in a positive light in this day and age, but it may be some comfort to Trenton officials that at least some New Jerseyans think they are doing a better job than the folks in Washington,” Murray said.

 Democrats (63%) were a lot more likely than Republicans (14%) to rate the state government positively. They were also somewhat more likely to give positive reviews to the quality of the federal government, although both partisan groups’ opinion of Washington is largely negative – just 31% excellent or good among Democrats and 7% among Republicans. 

Again, independents’ views on both levels of government were more in line with Republican than Democratic opinion. 

Interestingly, past polls on the quality of state government showed less of a partisan divide than the current results. 

In 2009, when Democrats controlled both the executive and legislative branches, Democrats (44% excellent/good) had a slightly better view of Trenton than Republicans (20%), and independents (17%). 

Republican opinion (38% positive) ticked up the following year when a GOP governor took office, while Democratic opinion (19%) slipped and independent (21%) opinion held steady. But these partisan gaps are nowhere near the nearly 50-point difference today.

“Partisanship fractures how we view the government nowadays. You’ve got to stick with your team and boo the other guys no matter what. Which means independents tend to remain unhappy no matter who is in charge,” Murray said.

The Monmouth University Poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.7 percentage points for the full sample.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • government
  • Monmouth University Poll
  • New Jersey
  • Opinion Polls
  • politics
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Opinion Polls

    April 26, 2025
    by Beth McCue
    New Poll Finds Tipping Point on Business Attitudes to Renewable Energy Shift  

    A new poll conducted across 15 countries, by Savanta and commissioned by E3G, Beyond Fossil Fuels and We Mean Business... Read More

    A new poll conducted across 15 countries, by Savanta and commissioned by E3G, Beyond Fossil Fuels and We Mean Business Coalition  shows overwhelming support for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewable electricity.   Powering up: Business perspectives on shifting to renewable electricity indicates a... Read More

    Immigration Is Trump's Strongest Issue, Many Say He's Gone Too Far, a new AP-NORC Poll Finds

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he takes wide-ranging actions to ramp up... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration remains a point of strength as he takes wide-ranging actions to ramp up deportations and target people in the U.S. illegally, according to a new poll. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 46% of... Read More

    Many Older AAPI Adults Are Foreign-Born. They're Also Tough on Immigration, a new Poll Finds

    WASHINGTON (AP) — There are sharp generational disagreements among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders when it comes to... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — There are sharp generational disagreements among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders when it comes to how the U.S. should handle mass deportations, with older AAPI adults — many of whom are themselves immigrants — taking a much tougher stance on unlawful... Read More

    March 19, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Survey Finds Voters ‘Anxious,’ ‘Overwhelmed’ in Wake of 2024 Election

    WASHINGTON — More than four months after the 2024 election, many voters are feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the abrupt... Read More

    WASHINGTON — More than four months after the 2024 election, many voters are feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the abrupt change of direction the country has experienced since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, a new analysis finds. However the study from Center Forward,... Read More

    Most AAPI Adults Don't Support Cutting Agencies and Want a Focus on Costs: AP-NORC/AAPI Data Poll

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders do not agree with the strategy of putting entire... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders do not agree with the strategy of putting entire federal agencies on the chopping block, nor are they broadly on board with mass layoffs of federal workers, according to a new poll. The survey, released... Read More

    What US Adults Think of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and His Views on Vaccines, Fluoride and Raw Milk

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine advocacy is outside the mainstream. His previous statements on abortion could alienate Republicans. But... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine advocacy is outside the mainstream. His previous statements on abortion could alienate Republicans. But a new poll finds that not all of his controversial health goals are unpopular — in fact, at least one has broad support among Democrats and... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top