Stockton Poll: Two-thirds of New Jersey Voters Say Tariffs Led to Higher Prices
| Two-thirds of New Jersey voters think the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration have led to higher prices for them and their families according to a Stockton University poll released today. One in five (21%) said they’ve had no effect, and 8% said they’ve led to reduced prices.
The poll of 700 New Jersey voters was conducted from Feb. 6-16 by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. Among the two-thirds of voters who said tariffs have increased prices are 93% of Democrats, 62% of Independents and more than 22% of Republicans. About half of Republicans (51%) think the tariffs have had no effect on the price of goods compared to 4% of Democrats and 23% of independents. Nearly 1 in 5 Republicans said they think the tariffs reduced prices whereas only 1% of Democrats and 8% of independents think the same. “Tariffs have long been used by governments, including the United States, to protect domestic industries, address perceived unfair trade practices, and advance other political interests, but they often come with trade-offs like higher consumer prices, more expensive inputs for domestic industries, and retaliation from other countries,” said Tina Zappile, Hughes Center director and associate professor of Political Science (pictured, above). The poll was conducted before the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s sweeping tariffs that have been central to his economic agenda. The court ruled on Friday that the President cannot use the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad, new tariffs and that “regulating commerce” during an emergency does not include the power to tax imports, which belongs to Congress. The Trump administration quickly invoked a different law to impose a 10% universal tariff. According to that statute, the tariffs can remain in place for 150 days before Congressional approval is required. The administration indicated it would explore alternative means to continue to pursue its trade policies. “The recent ruling adds another layer to the uncertainty that’s loomed over U.S. trade policy for the last year,” said Alyssa Maurice, Hughes Center assistant director and head of research. “New Jersey consumers recognize that trade policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and for most voters, tariffs translate directly into higher costs at checkout.” The United States’ role on the world stage Beyond tariffs, the poll also finds that many New Jersey voters believe the United States has lost ground globally over the past decade. A majority (52%) said the U.S. has a less important and powerful role as a world leader compared to 10 years ago, while 25% believe the country’s role has grown more important and 17% said it has stayed about the same. This same question was asked exactly 10 years ago in a Stockton poll. In 2016, 45% of New Jersey voters said the U.S. has a less important and powerful role compared to a decade ago, 21% said it had a more important and powerful role, and 32% said its standing had remained unchanged. The changes in perception from 2016 to 2026 are far greater when broken down by party affiliation. In 2016, the final year of former President Obama’s second term, a plurality of 44% of Democrats said the U.S. is just as important and powerful as it was 10 years ago. Now, under President Trump, most Democrats (79%) said the U.S. is less important and powerful on the world stage. The majority view (65%) among Republicans in 2016 was that the U.S. was less important and powerful than it was a decade prior. In 2026, most Republicans (68%) said the U.S. has gained standing. Independents’ views on this have remained stable from 2016 to 2026.
Foreign Intervention When asked about specific foreign policy proposals, New Jersey voters expressed skepticism toward U.S. intervention. More than two-thirds (68%) oppose the U.S. taking over Greenland, while just 21% support the idea. Only 9% said they were unsure. This remains stable from the last time this question was asked in a March 2025 Stockton poll. Similarly, voters show limited appetite for involvement in Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation last month. A majority of 58% say the U.S. should be not too involved (15%) or not at all involved (43%) in governing Venezuela in the coming months. By contrast, 37% favor at least some involvement, including 13% who say the U.S. should be very involved. “American presidents often struggle to articulate a grand strategy for their foreign policy. President Trump faces the same challenge as his predecessors to convince the public that American military intervention advances the country’s interests or preserves its power and leadership role in the world,” Zappile said. “Whether governing Venezuela, taking over Greenland, or using force in other countries, Americans have grown tired of this strategy, at least for now.” View the full poll results here. Methodology The poll of New Jersey residents was sponsored and conducted by the Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. Data collection took place from Feb. 6-16, 2026, using a N.J. voter list sample. A total of 700 New Jersey registered voters were interviewed. Responses were recorded via telephone or online in English. Overall, 96% of interviews were conducted on cell phones and 4% on landline phones. In terms of mode, 71% were reached via dialing with the survey administered by a live interviewer and 29% were reached via text-to-web. The live calls were conducted by Opinion Services. The text messages were sent by Stockton Polling Institute staff from the university’s Galloway campus and included a single-use link to take the survey online. The data were weighed to balance the sample demographics using iterative proportional fitting. Weights were based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 data for the voting eligible population in New Jersey on variables of age, ethnicity, education level, region and sex. The poll's margin of error is +/- 3.7 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error is higher for subsets. Sampling error does not account for other potential sources of bias in polls such as measurement error or nonresponse. The poll has a design effect of 1.31. The design effect reflects the increase in sampling variance introduced by weighting adjustments. About the Hughes Center The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey, and promotes civic life through engagement, education and research. The Hughes Public Policy Center can be followed on Instagram @hughespublicpolicycenter, Facebook @StocktonHughesCenter, X @HughesCenter, and LinkedIn @hughes-public-policy-center, with recorded events on YouTube @StocktonPublicPolicyCenter. Stockton University |
