TRENTON, N.J. – Blue New Jersey towns and legislators continue to advance plastic bag/container bans, but their constituents’ support for these measures is conditional.
Here’s what Monmouth University Poll released this week:
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“Nearly 2-in-3 New Jerseyans (65%) claim to support a ban on single use plastic bags, while 29% are opposed. Just over half (52%) also say they support a ban on plastic straws, with 44% of state residents opposing this. However, support for a plastic bag ban appears to be less absolute when residents are presented with specific ways this could be handled. When given a number of options, just 31% want a complete ban on single use plastic bags, while 27% say that customers should pay a small fee if they want a plastic bag when shopping. Another 39% of state residents feel that stores should continue to have the option to give away plastic bags for free.”
“This is one of the problems with gauging opinion on an issue the public has not really given a lot of thought. The ultimate goal may seem worthy at first, but support wanes a bit when people consider how it might affect them in its implementation,” opined Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Click here for the full results and data tables.
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