New Jersey Poll Indicates Strong Support for Official English Legislation

3-in-4 likely voters support making English the official language of the Garden State

78 percent of New Jersey residents support making English the official language of the state, according to a new poll by Public Policy Polling. The survey of 500 likely voters in the Garden State found majority support for official English legislation among Democrats, Republicans and Independents, all by better than 2-to-1 margins. The poll, which found only 16 percent of likely voters opposing the bill, was conducted Sept. 11-14, 2009 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.

“There are no red state/blue state divisions with regard to official English legislation,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “Americans are strong supporters of making English the official language because they understand that English is the unifying bond of our diverse nation. In a state with as rich an immigration history as New Jersey, residents are exposed to the value of a common language each and every day.”

During the 2008-09 session of the New Jersey legislature, two measures were introduced to make English the official language of the state. However, A.B. 468, introduced by Assemblyman John Rooney, Assemblywoman Alison McHose, Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow and S. 1090, introduced by Senator Anthony Bucco, were not considered before the session concluded. A total of 30 states have official English laws on the books, with a measure in a 31st state, Oklahoma, headed to the 2010 general election ballot.

According to the poll, support for official English in New Jersey stretched across age, gender and regional lines. More than 75 percent of men and women supported the legislation, as did more than 75 percent of those in the 18-29, 30-45, 46-65 and over 65 age brackets. Support was nearly equal across the northern, central and southern areas of the state, exceeding 75 percent in all three cases.

“At a time when elected officials have to make some very difficult decisions, I find it surprising that they refuse to tackle issues supported by more than three-fourths of likely voters,” added Mujica. “With state elections less than eight weeks away,  I strongly urge the citizens of New Jersey to ask their representatives about official English. New Jerseyans deserve to know who will and who will not work toward the ideal goal of having a state that promotes English acquisition and not divisive multilingualism.”