The Monmouth Poll is out with new survey results and a comparative analysis of historical support for New Jersey offshore wind development. What they discovered: support for wind is dropping, and it started dropping long before whales and dolphins began washing up in large numbers on the Jersey Shore’s iconic beaches.
“There was a time when wind energy was not really a political issue. It consistently received widespread bipartisan support for more than a decade. That is no longer the case,” opined Monmouth Polling director Patrick Murray.
84% of those polled were in favor of offshore wind in May 2011 and only 10% were opposed; today, it’s 54% vs. 40% and it’s tied (48% to 48%) in South Jersey, where a majority of the state’s competitive Election 2023 legislative districts are located:
Unsurprisingly, coastal counties are home to the strongest level of opposition. Only 43% of coastal county residents support offshore wind while 50% of non-coastal county residents are supportive.
Two other things to note:
Not only does Monmouth’s polling skew leftward, but Republicans and their allies are hitting this issue hard in campaign advertising. Battleground and leadership Democrats are also moderating their support. Buried in the polling report is the question whether higher electricity rates would impact support; only 25% still back offshore wind development if higher bills is the end result.
So it’s probably safe to assume these numbers are WORSE than advertised and likely to grow less favorable for the pro-wind industry coalition between now and Election Day.
