Politics

West Long Branch, NJ – By a 2 to 1 margin, Americans want Congress to compromise on the federal budget in order to avoid a government shutdown. According to the Monmouth University Poll, neither President Joe Biden nor the Democrats or Republicans in Congress are seen as looking out for the economic well-being of average Americans. The poll also finds the president’s job rating has taken a hit, now sitting at its lowest point since a year ago.

West Long Branch, NJ – More than 6 in 10 New Jerseyans continue to give positive ratings to their home state as a place to live, but views of some local aspects of the state’s quality of life have declined, particularly around schools and safety. The Monmouth (“Mon-muth”) University Poll’s benchmark index rating has remained stable due to offsetting partisan shifts in opinion, with Republicans feeling more negative than at the beginning of the year and Democrats feeling more positive.

West Long Branch, NJ – New Jersey’s attorney general has taken school districts to court to stop them from requiring notification of parents whose student asks to be identified by a different gender in school. A sizable majority of state residents, however, support such notification. At the same time, the Monmouth University Poll finds that a majority of New Jerseyans, including parents, approve of teaching about gender identity in high school, but are less supportive of doing so in middle school and are broadly opposed to discussing this in elementary school. They also feel that sex education class attendance, use of bathrooms, and participation on sports teams for transgender students should be based on a student’s assigned sex at birth and not their current gender identity.

West Long Branch, NJ – Gov. Phil Murphy’s job rating continues to be in positive territory, but has declined a few points since the start of his second term. One-third of New Jerseyans say Murphy has scored major accomplishments in office according to the latest Monmouth (“Mon-muth”) University Poll of state residents. The poll also finds that, following the untimely passing of Sheila Oliver, the lieutenant governor, the vast majority say gender and race should not be considerations in choosing her successor.

West Long Branch, NJ – President Joe Biden gets mediocre to poor marks on key aspects of the economy despite him recently touting what he calls “Bidenomics.” Only 3 in 10 Americans feel the country is doing a better job recovering economically than the rest of the world since the pandemic. The latest Monmouth University Poll also finds Congress and nearly all of its leadership continue to earn negative ratings.

West Long Branch, NJ – Most Americans are worried that their fundamental freedoms could be at risk according to the Monmouth University Poll. While both Republicans and Democrats express this concern, the rights they focus on are very different. Only 4 in 10 Americans feel our system of government is basically sound and few have a great deal of trust in the judgement of the American people as a whole. Republicans tend to be somewhat more negative than Democrats on these measures, with fully 2 in 3 Republicans continuing to believe that voter fraud determined the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

West Long Branch, NJ – Half of Americans say the debt ceiling issue should be dealt with cleanly, while just 1 in 4 want to tie it to federal spending negotiations, according to the Monmouth University Poll. A plurality agrees with predictions that the country will suffer significant economic problems if the debt ceiling is not raised – a view that increases to a clear majority among those who have been paying a lot of attention to the issue. The public holds generally negative views of how President Joe Biden and both the Democrats and Republicans in Congress have handled the debt limit issue. For Biden, this rating is slightly worse than his overall job score.

The U.S. Secret Service says it blocked a Muslim mayor from Prospect Park, New Jersey, from attending a White House celebration with President Joe Biden to belatedly mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

West Long Branch, NJ – Public opinion on an assault weapons ban has shifted from majority backing to a split decision. Support for background checks remains high, though not quite as strong as it was last year. The Monmouth University Poll also finds that half of the country believes the frequency of mass shootings will increase over the next five years.