Majorities of New Jerseyans say reliable information on most aspects of local life is “very important,” according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel poll.

77% say reliable public safety and emergency information is “very important,” and 74% say the same about local taxes and how public money is spent. About two-thirds say reliable information is “very important” when it comes to public health and environmental conditions (68%), decisions made by their municipal government (66%) and roads, transportation and infrastructure (65%).

36% looked for local information in the past year and found it hard to find, and 42% say there aren’t enough local news sources in their area.

Survey Methodology

Results are from a statewide poll of 1,004 adults contacted through the probability-based Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.