New Brunswick and Madison, New Jersey (August 6, 2019) – More than 80 percent of New Jerseyans say their local school districts include a good mix of races and ethnicities, and just 14 percent say their local schools are segregated, despite research that has found high levels of segregation of black and Latin-American students in the Garden State.
New Jerseyans’ views about the ethnic makeup of their local school districts are the subject of the latest Rutgers-Eagleton/Fairleigh Dickinson University polling partnership, in collaboration with Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Public and Global Affairs.
Almost half (49 percent) of respondents report that students in their district represent a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Another third, however, say the students at their local schools are mostly white, and almost one in five say their local schools are mostly black (8 percent) or members of another race or ethnicity (9 percent).
The majority of respondents see no need for change. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) feel things are “fine the way they are” when it comes to diversity in their local schools; just a quarter (26 percent) say they would like to see more racial and ethnic diversity.
“Despite being one of the most diverse states in the country, research shows New Jersey has the sixth-highest level of segregation of black students and the seventh-highest level for Latin-American students,” said Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “Yet most residents’ perceptions seem at odds with reality, except for those who may experience it firsthand due to their own race, ethnicity, or economic status.”
The Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll asked the same questions earlier this year of a set of national respondents. New Jerseyans are more likely than individuals nationwide to say their local schools have “a good mix” of races (83 percent versus 73 percent) but are also more likely to say their local schools are dominated by students of one race or ethnicity, whether white, black or another group (50 percent versus 43 percent). Additionally, New Jerseyans are more likely than people nationally (64 percent versus 56 percent) to say things are fine the way they are when it comes to diversity in schools.
“If 50 percent say their schools are mostly one race or ethnicity while 83 percent say their school has a good mix, then clearly there are different ideas about what constitutes segregation,” said Peter Woolley, Director of FDU’s School of Public and Global Affairs.
The Rutgers-Eagleton/Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll of New Jerseyans contacted 1,250 adults between March 7 and 22, 2019. Of those, 621 of were contacted by live callers on landlines and cell phones, and 629 were reached through an online probability-based panel. The combined sample has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points; the phone sample has a margin of error of +/-4.5 percentage points, and the online probability-base sample has a margin of error of +/-5.5 percentage points. Interviews were done in English and, when requested, Spanish. The full analysis, along with the poll’s questions and tables, can be found on the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll website and the FDU Poll website.
Race and Ethnicity Drives Perceptions of School Segregation
White residents are more likely than non-white residents to report greater diversity among students in their district (52 percent versus 45 percent) but are also more likely to report students in their district as being mostly white (37 percent to 27 percent). Non-white residents, on the other hand, are more than twice as likely as white residents to report that the students in their local school district are mostly black (13 percent versus 4 percent) or mostly another race or ethnicity (14 percent versus 5 percent), though these numbers are still comparatively small.
Three-quarters of those who report that their local school district is mostly white nevertheless say their district has a good mix of different races and ethnicities. On the other hand, a majority of those who report that local students are mostly another race or a mixture of races say the district has a good mix racially and ethnically.
Age and socioeconomic status also play a role
Younger residents are more likely than older residents to perceive segregation in their local school district and are also less likely to report a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds among their student population.
Those living in higher-income areas see less diversity in their local school district. Nearly half (46 percent) of those in the highest income bracket say the students in their local schools are mostly white, compared with one in five (22 percent) who say the same among those in the lowest income bracket. Likewise, four in ten (40 percent) of those in the highest income bracket report a mostly mixed student body, compared with almost two-thirds (63 percent) of those in the lowest income bracket.
A similar pattern emerges with education: two-thirds of those with a high school diploma or less say their student population includes a mixture of races and ethnicities, compared with one-third of those who have completed some type of graduate work.
Residents mostly content with racial and ethnic mix in schools
Women are more likely than men (30 percent versus 22 percent) to say they would welcome more diversity – though about two-thirds of each gender are fine with the way things are now.
Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to prefer more racial and ethnic diversity (39 percent versus 5 percent). Independents tend to agree with Democrats, with 29 percent wanting to see more diversity in their schools.
White residents are more likely than non-white residents (72 percent versus 52 percent) to say things are fine the way they are; non-white residents are twice as likely as white residents (38 percent versus 18 percent) to say more diversity is needed.
Some respondents answered the survey questions online, while others spoke by phone with live interviewers. The presence or absence of a live interviewer appeared to affect their expressed diversity preferences. While a small percentage of respondents said they wanted less racial and ethnic diversity in their schools, those who completed the survey online were more than four times likely to express that view than those who spoke with an interviewer (12 percent vs 3 percent).
Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University–New Brunswick has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino neal.buccino@echo.rutgers.edu
ABOUT THE EAGLETON CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST POLLING (ECPIP)
Home of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, ECPIP was established in 1971 and is the oldest and one of the most respected university-based state survey research centers in the United States. Now in its 48th year and with the publication of over 200 polls, ECPIP’s mission is to provide scientifically sound, non-partisan information about public opinion. To read more about ECPIP and view all of our press releases and published research, please visit our website: eagletonpoll.rutgers.edu. You can also visit our extensive data archive, Facebook, and Twitter.
ABOUT THE EAGLETON INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
The Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. The Eagleton Institute explores state and national politics through research, education, and public service, linking the study of politics with its day-to-day practice. The Institute focuses attention on how the American political system works, how it changes, and how it might work better. To learn more about Eagleton programs and expertise, visit eagleton.rutgers.edu.
ABOUT RUTGERS—NEW BRUNSWICK
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship university is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It is home to internationally acclaimed faculty and has 12 degree-granting schools and a Division I Athletics program. It is the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse university. Through its community of teachers, scholars, artists, scientists, and healers, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives.
ABOUT THE FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERISTY POLL
For the second year, the FDU Poll received an “A” rating from statistician Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog. The ratings measure both accuracy and bias for all major polling services in the United States, providing an update to similar research the poll watchers conducted in 2014. FDU’s “A” rating puts it in the top 15 of the more than 380 polling institutes reviewed and graded from A+ through F. The FDU poll was found to have a 94 percent accuracy rate for predicting election results, and is one of only three A-rated polling institutes with zero bias to their rankings. Please visit our website: publicmind.fdu.edu.
ABOUT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
The largest private university in New Jersey, FDU is a not-for-profit, nonsectarian, multi-campus institution. Founded in 1942, FDU achieved four-year status in 1948 and approval as a university in 1956.
The University offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including doctoral programs in pharmacy, nursing practice, clinical psychology and school psychology; and an AACSB-accredited business school. Degree programs are offered on two New Jersey campuses and at two FDU locations outside the U.S.: Wroxton College, in Oxfordshire in England, and the Vancouver Campus, in British Columbia, Canada. FDU’s 11,500 full- and part-time students pursue quality career-oriented programs on schedules tailored to their needs – days, evenings and weekends. The curriculum reflects a mission of global education and a foundation of a world-renowned University Core.
ABOUT FDU’s School of Public and Global Affairs
Home of the FDU Poll, the aim of this unique graduate school is to attract outstanding students from Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. with the goal of preparing them for substantial advancement in public service or non-profit leadership. At its 2018 founding, the school offers three elements of education and research including the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program for those who want to lead governmental organizations and non-profits, whether on a global or local scale; the MA in Global Affairs which is offered to consular and diplomatic staff to students from around the globe, from Argentina to Zambia and the FDU Poll which has engaged since 2001 in original research for corporate, non-profit, and government entities.
