IJ..JTc5EI.S Eagleton Institute of Politics New Brunswick New Jersey / FLic %tar-jlcbgcr/eagleton POLL

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1 attribute this copyrighted information to the Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll. release after 5:00 p.m. Saturday, September 19. We ask users to properly also use this information in their Sunday editions. Electronic media may ground memo will appear in Sunday s Star-Ledger. Other newspapers may FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 20, 1987 CONTACT: NANCY WHELCHEL RELEASE: SL/EPX6-6 (EP6G-6) OR CLIFF ZUKIN RELEASE INFORMATION A story based on the survey findings presented in this release and back IJ..JTc5EI.S Eagleton Institute of Politics New Brunswick New Jersey / September 19 from (201) (Rutgers Feature Phone). -more- conducted with 800 adult New Jersey residents between August 12 and 25, shows quality in their home communities over the past eight years. The new poll, There has been almost no change in residents evaluations of the air family drink. say they are very concerned about the quality of the water they and their the quality of the air they breathe on their family s health, and 65 percent contrast, 61 percent say they are very concerned about adverse effects of the risks to their health posed by the environment in their area. In stark Very few residentsonly about 1-in-lareport being unconcerned about and are willing to pay for healthier air and water with higher taxes or government low marks for the job it is doing protecting their environment, Eagleton Poll. The survey also finds that Garden State residents give state reduced economic development. breathe and the water they drink, according to the latest Star-Ledger! NEW JERSEYANS AND THE ENVIRONMENt PART 4 - AIR AND WATER QUALITY: NEW JERSEYANS CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION: WILL PAY HIGHER TAXES TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS New Jerseyans are far from satisfied with the quality of the air they ATTENTION RADIO STATIONS: Audio is available after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, THE STATE UNEP5IIV CF NEW JERV FLic %tar-jlcbgcr/eagleton POLL

2 EP66-6 (SL/EP16-6) Page 2 almost half of Garden State residents45 percentcontinuing to rate the quality of the air in their area negatively as only fair or poor. The quality of the water in their area also receives negative ratings from about ( half of the public (48 percent). State government gets low marks for the job it is doing protecting the environment in New Jersey. Only about one in three35 percentoffers a positive evaluation of excellent or good on this question, while almost 40 percent of New Jerseyans say the state is doing an only fair job of protecting the environment, and another 22 percent say it is doing a poor job. Nancy Whelchel, a research associate at the Poll, commented, In New Jersey the environment is a health issue. Many people are concerned that their environment is simply unsafe. The public wants more action from governmental agencies, and is willing to take on some of the burden themselves in the effort to clean up the Garden State. We find that higher taxes scare people less than the threat of an unsafe environment. ( The survey shows the vast majority of Garden State residents is willing to pay higher taxes to have cleaner air and water, and that support for stronger efforts in this area has increased over the past decade. Currently, almost 80 percent of New Jerseyans favor efforts to reduce air pollution even if they cause taxes to go up, compared to 64 percent in 1q84, and 55 percent in As with air quality, the current poll also finds over 80 percent saying they would be willing to see their taxes increased to help bring about cleaner water. In addition to accepting an increased tax burden, New Jerseyans have shown an increased willingness to trade off economic development for better environmental quality over the past 10 years. In 1977, people were evenly -more-

3 or relaxing those laws to create more jobs in New Jersey, with 46 percent margin of 69 to 19 percent. grown stronger over the last five years to the point where more favor environmental protection by a margin of 56 to 34 percent. This sentiment has divided when faced with the choice of maintaining strict anti-pollution laws favoring each position. By 1982, public sentiment had tilted toward maintaining strict anti-pollution laws over economic growth by a lopsided Copyright: September 20, 1987, The Eagleton Institute and Newark Star-Ledger outnumber positive evaluations by a margin of about 2 to 1 among this group. surrounding environment. Negative ratings of both air and water quality The poll shows urban residents to be the least satisfied with their older suburbs and center city areas. newer suburban areas. The reverse is true, however among people living in evaluations outnumbered unfavorable ones among those living in rural and to 38 percent in the South Jersey region. Additionally, favorable negative ones by 59 to 41 percent in the Central part of the state, and by 62 negative ones (of only fair or poor ). Positive evaluations outnumber assessments (of excellent or good ) of air quality in their area as give and types of communities. In North Jersey, as many give favorable Ratings of air and water quality varied in different regions of the state EP66-6 (SL/EPI6-6) Page 3

4 URic tar-icbgcr/eagleton POLL BACKGROUND MEMORELEASE SL/EP16-6 (EP66-6), SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER The latest Star-L.edper/Eagleton Poll was conducted between August 12 and 25, 1987, when a random sample of 800 New Jerseyans, (18 years and older) was interviewed by telephone. Figures presented for the total sample of 800 have a sampling error of ±3.5 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval. Sampling error is the probable difference in results between interviewing everyone in a population versus a scientific sample taken from that population. Sampling error does not take into account other possible sources of error inherent in any study of public opinion. The questions and figures referred to in this release are as follows: Thinking about your family s health, how concerned are you with the quality of the air you breathevery concerned, somewhat concerned, or not very concerned? Very Somewhat Not Very Don t Know Total jj August Total 61% 28% 10% 0 99% (800) How would you rate the air quality in the area where you liveexcellent, good, only fair, or poor? Excellent Good Only Fair Poor Don t Know Total jjjj August % 44% 33% 12% 0% 99% (800) February (810) May (1006) April 197g (1005) August 1987 center city city & old (79) suburb (189) new suburb (428) rural (104) Region August 1987 north (415) central (192) south (193) THE STATE UNNEPSIV OF NBN EPV I..L.J1:1EI.S Eagleton Institute of Politics New Brunswick New Jersey / C

5 quality of the water you drinkvery concerned, somewhat concerned, or not February (800) April (1004) Thinking again about your family s health, how concerned are you about the May (1005) Favor OpDose Depends/DK Total j) August % 15% 7% 100% (800) taxes to go up? Would you favor or oppose efforts to reduce air pollution if they caused north (415) south (193) central (192) Region center city g 100 (79) rural (104) new suburb (428) city & old suburb (189) August Total 81% 14% 5% 100% (800) Favor Oppose Don t Know Total jj taxes to go up? Would you favor or oppose efforts to reduce water pollution if they caused north (415) south (193) central (192) Regi on new suburb (428) suburb (189) city & old center city (79) rural (104) August Total 11% 39% 32% 16% 2% 1001 (800) Excellent Good Only Fair Poor Don t Know Total Th.) would you rate it as excellent, good, only fair, or poor? And thinking about the quality of the water in the area where you live; August Total 65% 18% 14% 2% 1% 100% (800) Very Somewhat Very Safe Water Know Total jjfl Not Drinks Don t very concerned? EP66-6 (SL/EP16-6) -2-

6 EP56-6 (SL/EP16-6) -3- Overall, the how good a environment in New job do you feel state Jerseyexcellent, government good, only is fair doing in or poor? protecting Excellent Good Only Fair Don t Poor DeDends Know Total jjfl August Total 5% 30% 39% 22% 1% 3% 100% (800) (79) & old suburb (189) new suburb (428) (104) center city city rural Some people say you had laws you choose? to or relaxing those industry. If that anti-pollution laws choose between laws more to create discourage the growth of jobs maintaining strict anti-pollution jobs in New Jersey, and which would Maintain Strict Don t Laws Relax Laws Both Know Total August % 19% 5% 7% 100% (800) November (500) (800) September (502) (1004) February July ( Now I m going me whether 121! too not too to read think it is serious? First, serious? AIR POLLUTION IN NEW JERSEY you a problems. For a very problem, somewhat how about (DESIGNATED POINT), short list of serious Very Somewhat Not too* serious serious serious is this very, each, please tell D.K. serious, or not somewhat or Total jjfl August % 39% 17% 2% 100% (800) October (800) (804) February WATER POLLUTION IN NEW JERSEY August % 24% 11% 3% 99% (800) October (800) November (500) February (804) * In 1986 and 1984 this option was not at all serious.