Most New Jersey Voters Say Government Should Address Health Care Affordability and Access to Mental Health Services

Majorities across party, gender and age see these issues as priorities for elected officials 

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (June 3, 2026) – Overwhelming majorities of New Jersey voters say it is important for elected government officials to make health care more affordable – and, in particular, expand access to mental health care for all and making such services available in K12 schools, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.

The poll is the latest in the New Jersey Health Matters series commissioned by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

Seventy-six percent of voters say it is “very important” and another 17% say “somewhat important” that government officials address making health care more affordable. Regarding mental health care, 86% say it is either “very” (58%) or “somewhat” (28%) important for elected officials address expanding access to mental health care and 80% say the same about expanding mental health services in K-12 schools (52% “very,” 28% “somewhat”).

“The recent poll results reflect what we've been hearing across New Jersey: Residents want more access to mental health including expanded access in schools,” said Linda Schwimmer, president and chief executive of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.

She added the institute soon will release a Children's Mental Health Mapping Report, “which will be a critical resource for policymakers, with 17 recommendations to improve access to mental health services for children in New Jersey.”

When it comes to addressing mental health, New Jersey voters say government and schools have more to do. Sixty-three percent say the federal government is doing “too little,” 49% say the same of the New Jersey state government and 47% say this about the state’s public school districts. Some voters (17% for the federal government and 27% each for the state government and public schools) are unsure about how much each of these entities are doing.

“New Jersey voters clearly see health care affordability and mental health access as priorities for their elected officials, and that holds across party lines, even if the intensity varies,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “Many also say government and schools are falling short on mental health and that care is hard to access for children, teens and adults alike, signaling that voters want action on this important issue.”

As it stands, 55% say it is difficult (17% “very,” 38% “somewhat”) on some level for adults in the U.S. to access mental health care and 52% say this is the case for children and teenagers in the

U.S. (16% “very,” 36% “somewhat”). Voters feel more optimistic on a personal level, however: Fifty-two percent say it is “very” (23%) or “somewhat” (29%) easy for people like themselves to access mental health care.

A majority of voters rate both their physical (20% “excellent,” 60% “good”) and mental (40% “excellent,” 44% “good”) health positively.

On nearly every item, Democrats and Republicans split widely on the issue while independents land in between. On making health care more affordable, Democrats and independents are more likely by double digits than Republicans to say it is an important issue for elected officials to address. The gap widens on expanding mental health care access (76% of Democrats versus 33% of Republicans say “very important”) and expanding mental health services in K-12 schools (76% of Democrats versus 23% of Republicans). Nevertheless, majorities of partisan voters say it is important at some level.

Double-digit differences also emerge between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to how much government and schools are doing, with especially polarizing views on the federal government. Eighty-three percent of Democrats say it is doing "too little" versus 36% of Republicans, with Republicans far more likely to say it is "just the right amount.” Republicans also are more likely than Democrats or independents to say it is easier for adults, children, teens and people like themselves to find mental health care, as well as more likely to rate their own personal physical and mental health more positively.

Women place more importance on government action than men: They are much more likely than men to say mental health care access (69% versus 47%) and on K-12 services (64% versus 40%) is "very" important for elected officials to address. Women also are more likely than men to see access as difficult for adults, children and teens and "people like you.” In addition, women are more likely than men by double digits to say government and schools are doing “too little” when it comes to mental health. Men are more likely than women to rate their mental health "excellent" (46% versus 34%).

Nonwhite voters consistently place more importance on government action than white voters.

Nonwhite voters are more likely to say it is "very important" that elected officials make health care more affordable (85% versus 73%), expand mental health care access (69% versus 53%), and expand mental health services in K-12 schools (63% versus 47%). They also are more likely to say the federal government is doing "too little" on mental health (71% versus 61%).

While voters, no matter their age, align on the degree to which they rate general health care affordability as important, younger voters place more importance than their older counterparts when it comes to mental health care access and mental health services in K-12 schools. Younger voters also are the most likely to see mental health care as difficult to access, both for adults nationally (24% "very difficult" versus 14% of the oldest voters) and for themselves (16% versus 6%). The starkest divide is on self-assessed mental health, which climbs steadily with age: Twenty-four percent of voters ages 18 to 34 rate their mental health "excellent," compared with 48% of those 65 and older, and about one-third (33%) of the youngest voters rate it only "fair."

Lower-income voters are more likely than higher-income voters to see the importance of government action on both health care and mental health. They also perceive greater difficulty than those in higher income households when it comes to accessing mental health care and report less positive ratings of physical and mental health. Educational differences follow a similar pattern, with college graduates and those with graduate work rating their physical and mental health more positively than voters with a high school education or less, who are also more likely to say accessing mental health care is difficult for people like themselves.

Results are from a statewide poll of 859 registered voters in New Jersey from May 15 to May 19. The full registered voter sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.