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A new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll finds New Jersey residents continue to struggle with the cost of basic necessities, even as affordability pressures have eased slightly in several categories since last fall.

While some household expenses show modest improvement, the overall picture remains one of persistent financial strain across the Garden State — with gasoline and transportation costs bucking the broader trend.

The statewide survey of 1,568 New Jersey adults, conducted March 27–30, 2026, with a margin of error of +/- 3.2%, shows that most major expenses remain difficult for a majority of residents.

Among those for whom costs were applicable:

• 68% report difficulty affording education expenses such as student loans down 3 points from October
• 63% for utilities down 8 points
• 62% for housing down 6 points
• 60% for health care down 4 points
• 59% each for groceries and food costs down 9 points and gasoline and transportation up 5 points

While several categories have eased modestly since October, affordability pressures remain widespread.

Jump at the pump

The clearest reversal is at the gas pump. The increase is broad-based across demographic groups, with especially sharp gains among Democrats, adults ages 50 to 64, women and nonwhite residents.

Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, said that while New Jerseyans feel a slight relief on most everyday costs compared with last fall – this relief is not extending to the gas pump, with gas prices spiking in the last few weeks since the start of the war in Iran.

“This is no surprise, as gas nears – or even exceeds – $4 a gallon,” said Koning. “The jump in reported difficulty in this area cuts across every demographic, forming a kind of rare consensus and showing just how acutely New Jerseyans are feeling the consequences of the current national conflict with Iran.”

The jump in reported difficulty in this area cuts across every demographic, forming a kind of rare consensus and showing just how acutely New Jerseyans are feeling the consequences of the current national conflict with Iran.
—Ashley Koning, director, Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling

Across other categories, the easing in affordability pressures has been uneven, with persistent gaps remaining across income, education, and racial and ethnic groups. While some measures show modest improvement overall, certain populations continue to face significantly higher levels of financial strain and, in several cases, little meaningful relief since last fall.

“Even though some of these everyday affordability pressures have eased slightly across all New Jerseyans, the burden is still far greater for some more than others,” said Koning. “Across all six spending areas, nonwhite residents, lower-income households, and those without a four-year college degree consistently report greater difficulty — and in several cases, they are seeing little to no improvement at all.”

The full poll results are available here.