The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of Power the Future, found 58% of voters oppose EV mandates from Governor Phil Murphy (D-New Jersey).
"This governor has imposed mandates that will make it so that people will have to buy only zero-emission cars – i.e., electric vehicles [EVs] – by 2035," explains Larry Behrens, communications director of Power the Future.
The proposal, which requires all new car, SUV, and light truck sales in the state to be zero emission by 2035, fails to win majority support even among Democrats (46%), young voters (46%) and Murphy's own approvers (48%). Reasons vary for the opposition, but nearly 7 out of 10 residents feel the mandates will cost them more money.
"If the green agenda is this unpopular in deep blue New Jersey, imagine what it's like in battleground states and districts across this country," Daniel Turner – executive director of Power The Future – says in a press release.
Meanwhile, 50% of New Jersey voters say they would be less likely to vote for a state legislator who voted to support these regulations.
"They do not want this green agenda being forced upon them. They believe they are smart enough to choose the products that they believe are best for themselves," Behrens adds.
"When you have mandates handed down – no matter if it is from a state house or from Washington, DC – people feel that bureaucrats are making decisions not in the people's best interest, but in government's best interests."
The survey was conducted August 17-22, 2023.
