Poll: Few NJ Voters Approve of Christie’s Handling of Pension System

Very few New Jersey residents believe Chris Christie has improved the state pension system during his time in office, according to a poll released Tuesday from Monmouth University.

Many more residents say that Christie has done nothing to improve the pension system; but some residents say the Governor can claim a few minor accomplishments.

The poll results, from NJ.com:

Just 11 percent of residents say Christie can continue to take credit for “major accomplishments in fixing the state’s pension system, according to the poll. Another 31 percent said he can claim minor accomplishments, while 47 percent said he’s done nothing to turn the system around.

“The governor can’t expect the public to see pension reform as one of his major accomplishments after he asked the court to overturn a key provision in his own law,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch.

[…]

Twelve percent of New Jerseyans approved of Christie’s decision to underfund the pension system this year, the survey of 504 adults said. Meanwhile, 42 percent of those polled disapproved of the governor’s move and 46 percent, the largest subset, had no opinion.

[…]

Public workers have a lot of support in their corner, as the majority of residents said the state should keep its promise to them. Nearly a third think the state should pay pension benefits “no matter the cost,” and 46 percent said that while benefits may be too high, the state should pay what it owes.

Another 19 percent said the state should cut benefits for current workers, according to the poll.

Read the full survey here.

Photo by Elektra Grey Photography via Flickr CC License