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October
9, 2012
Garden State
Quality of Life Drops Again
In its regular tracking of residents’
satisfaction with life in New Jersey, the Monmouth
University Poll finds the current Garden State Quality of
Life Index at +24, which is the second straight drop off the
prior high of +31 recorded in April 2012. This marks a
return to its level of a year ago, but is still higher than
the initial +21 reading in December 2010.
“This past spring was marked by a heightened expectation
that New Jersey was about to turn the corner. With the
continued sluggishness of the state’s economic recovery
continuing to stall and the evaporation of a promised tax
credit, public optimism has faded,” said Patrick Murray,
director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Just under 2-in-3 residents rate the state of New Jersey as
either an excellent (15%) or good (50%) place to live. This
65% positive rating is down from 69% in July and 70% in
April. Positive ratings of one’s town as a place to
live stand at 72% (down from 76% in April); positive ratings
of the local environment are provided by 72% of state
residents (down from 75% in April); and ratings of the local
schools stand at 61% positive (down from 63% in April). The
one bright spot in the Garden State Quality of Life Index is
views on crime. Currently, 65% of residents feel very safe
in their neighborhoods at night, up from 60% in July and
similar to the 64% positive rating in April.
In the prior poll, the overall drop in the Garden State
Quality of Life Index was concentrated on the lower income
end – declining from +24 in April to +16 in July. That
trend continues in the current poll with a further decrease
to +10 among households earning less than $50,000. A new
trend in the current poll is that the index rating among
middle income residents has also dropped, after holding
steady in the prior poll. Among those earning between
$50,000 and $100,000, the index now stands at +23, down from
+31 in July and +28 in April. However, the index score
among upper income New Jerseyans has held steady, though, at
+37 among those earning more than $100,000 – which equals
the July mark and is down slightly from +42 in April.
The Garden State Quality of Life Index has also dropped
among urban residents, from +20 in April to +8 in July and
to -1 in the current poll. This negative rating for urban
residents matches the October 2011 low point for this group
of New Jerseyans.
The Garden State Quality of Life Index was created by the
Monmouth University Polling Institute to serve as a
resident-based indicator of the quality of life offered by
the state of New Jersey. The index is based on five
separate poll questions: overall opinion of the state as a
place to live – which contributes half the index score – and
ratings of one’s hometown, the performance of local schools,
the quality of the local environment, and feelings of safety
in one’s own neighborhood. The index can potentially range
from -100 to +100.
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