GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – As hundreds of stakeholders attend the annual Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition to create frameworks for the state’s new offshore wind industry Oct. 28-30 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, a contingent of offshore wind opponents will be outside the convention center protesting to say it’s not a good deal for the state.
A new poll conducted by the Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy from Oct. 10-14, found that offshore wind projects are not a high priority for New Jersey voters, including those who support wind turbines.
Just over half (52%) of voters somewhat (24%) or strongly (29%) support the installation of offshore wind turbines off the coast of New Jersey, while 9% somewhat oppose and 24% strongly oppose. These rates have remained stable since a September 2023 Stockton poll that poll found a sharp decline in support since the previous iteration in 2019.
When voters who oppose wind turbines were asked for their top reason, most (51%) cited environmental concerns for marine life or the ocean ecosystem, followed by costs (8%), including the cost to produce turbines or the energy costs associated with their use.
Support aside, offshore wind projects are not a big priority for most New Jersey voters. Only 24% said offshore wind projects should be a major priority for the state, while 37% said they should be a minor priority and 29% said they should not be a priority at all.
When it comes to elections in their district, 17% said a candidate’s views on offshore wind would influence their vote a great deal, 41% said it would influence their vote somewhat, and more than one-third (37%) said it would have no impact on their vote, including 40% of voters who back wind turbines.
“No matter which side of the issue voters land on, they seem to agree that it’s not a top priority,” Hughes Center Research Director Alyssa Maurice said. “The opposition to offshore wind is particularly vocal and well-organized in New Jersey, but the poll shows that for most voters this issue doesn’t move the needle much.”
alyssa_maurice7 Voters in coastal counties and those who oppose wind turbines were slightly more energized by the issue of offshore wind, with 28%-29% saying a candidate’s views on the matter would impact their vote greatly.
A majority of all New Jersey voters (54%) said expanding the production of renewable energy should take priority over expanding the production of fossil fuels, while 37% said fossil fuels should take priority when it comes to energy supply. Gaps between Democrats and Republicans persisted on almost all measures related to offshore wind, but the largest were identified on this question regarding energy production. A majority (77%) of Republicans favored fossil fuel production over renewables.
alyssa_maurice7 Smaller differences were found by geographic location. Similar to what was found in 2023, coastal residents were less supportive of the installation of offshore wind turbines. However, they were aligned with all other voters in their support of renewable energy production in general and on whether offshore wind projects should be a major priority for the state.
The poll of 616 registered voters was released by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. The margin of error is +/- 3.9 percentage points.
You can find the full poll results here.
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