Fewer than one-third of New Jersey voters approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling his job, according to a Stockton University poll released on Thursday, less than two weeks before the November midterm elections. The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy poll found 31 percent of registered voters approve of Trump's performance and 64 percent disapprove — a net rating of minus 33 points, the New Jersey Globe reported.

Source: Stockton University

Approval is sharply divided by party: 85 percent of Republicans approve of Trump's performance, compared with 31 percent of independents and just 4 percent of Democrats, the university said. More than six in ten voters, 63 percent, say the country is on the wrong track, while 24 percent say it is heading in the right direction.

Economy weighs heaviest

A plurality of 49 percent rated the economy as poor and 25 percent as fair, while 23 percent called it excellent or good. A majority of 57 percent said the economy has gotten worse in the past year, against 13 percent who said it has improved and 26 percent who said it is about the same. Even among Republicans, fewer than half — 45 percent — said the economy is better than a year ago, Stockton said.

Looking at November's election, 55 percent of voters statewide prefer Democrats to control Congress, compared with 31 percent who want Republicans in charge, according to the poll.

Immigration the closest issue

Voters trusted Democrats more than Republicans on all five issues tested, Stockton said — by the widest margins on healthcare (58 percent to 25 percent) and the cost of living (55 percent to 29 percent), followed by foreign policy including the war with Iran (53 percent to 29 percent). Immigration was the closest contest, with Democrats ahead 49 percent to 36 percent, and it was the only issue on which independents sided with Republicans, 43 percent to 35 percent — a finding of direct interest to New Jersey's large South Asian and Punjabi communities in places such as Edison and Jersey City, where immigration policy is a kitchen-table issue.

"We expect partisans to trust their own party on these key policy issues, but it was notable to see where independents landed," said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center. On election confidence, 58 percent of voters are very or somewhat confident midterm results will be accurate, down from 68 percent in Stockton's September 2024 poll; confidence fell 27 points among Democrats and 13 points among independents since 2024, while rising 11 points among Republicans.