Most NJ residents are worried about Roe v. Wade getting overturned, Eagleton poll finds

The Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics recently conducted a poll on how many New Jerseryans are concerned regarding the future of Roe v. Wade as the question of abortion rights has received new attention nationally and statewide.

The results came from a statewide poll answered by 1,008 adults residing in New Jersey. They were called by live interviewers during the week of Oct. 21, according to the release.

The poll found that two-thirds of New Jerseyans are very or somewhat concerned when it comes to the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in the future, said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

In addition, more than half of New Jerseyans want to see the state pass laws to protect and expand access to abortion care, and 4 in 10 residents would be more likely to vote for a candidate in the state who supports the Reproductive Freedom Act, according to the release.

“This is nothing new ... we've been polling 50 years in the state,” Koning said. “Abortion rights have always had support in New Jersey ... in fact, we've seen New Jerseyans have continually been opposed to state laws restricting abortion access for the past three decades.”

Koning said that the results of the poll also presented demographic differences, mainly in gender, race and age, that have been seen in public opinion within the state for the past several decades.

The poll found that women are more likely than men to be concerned about this topic. White, Black and Hispanic adults are usually equally likely to support abortion, though Black adults are more likely than others to be concerned about Roe v. Wade getting overturned, Koning said.

Younger residents were also found to be more likely to express opinions in favor of abortion as opposed to those who are older, she said.

“I think we see expected demographic differences based on how each of these demographics feel and have felt over time,” Koning said. “We see this reflection of that both statewide and nationally. Obviously, in New Jersey, we have many more Democrats and Independents than we do Republicans, and we're mostly a more Left-leaning state when we come to social issues like abortion. So I don't think the results are much of a surprise.”

Though many Republicans also indicated in the poll that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, she said. In fact, 17 percent of Republicans answered that abortion should always be legal, and 33 percent said that it should be legal in most cases, according to the release.

Koning said it is important that this information is collected and reported due to the fact that not every political issue is addressed on election day, so collecting results from polls provides a clearer view of where people stand in their opinion.

“Of course, this is a very contentious issue and a hot button issue — it has been for decades,” she said. “So, I think it's always important to assess public sentiment on issues that will have eventual public policy impact ... I think it's always important to see where public opinion is, especially with the Reproductive Freedom Act right now caught up in the legislature in terms of (it having) an impact on what policymakers think and the actions that they take on it.”