New Jersey Poll Findings Reveal Affordability Challenges and Health Equity Uncertainties Across the State 

PRINCETON, N.J.—Having access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is a key factor in living a healthy life. Yet, a new poll by The Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, conducted with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, finds that while New Jerseyans continue to view their communities as healthy, rising housing costs pose a challenge for residents and raise uncertainty around its broader impacts. 

According to the latest New Jersey Health Inequities Survey, which polled more than 2,000 New Jersey residents, a vast majority say housing costs make affording basic necessities difficult for some and one-third report facing barriers to obtaining affordable housing.

The poll findings highlight how housing costs and other economic pressures shape people's ability to live healthy lives. They also help guide the Foundation's work in its home state by raising awareness of the inequities that limit access to essential health resources and by informing ongoing efforts to address those challenges. 

“Housing is one of the most fundamental drivers of health, shaping everything from physical and mental wellbeing to stability and access to opportunity,” said Amber Randolph, Associate Vice President of New Jersey at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “These findings highlight how rising housing costs are putting increased pressure on New Jerseyans, with many struggling to afford essentials like food and healthcare. By expanding access to safe, affordable housing, we have an opportunity to strengthen communities and ensure everyone has a fair and just opportunity to live a healthy life.”

While most New Jersey residents view their communities as healthy, with 83% rating their community as either “very” (36%) or “somewhat” (47%) healthy, other findings reveal uneven divides, especially when it comes to affordability and home ownership.

Key findings include:

• When it comes to the health of the state, 18% rate New Jersey as “very healthy,” while 58% say “somewhat healthy.” 
• More than 8 in 10 residents (82%) say housing costs make it difficult to afford other necessities.
• Homeownership rates divide sharply along racial and economic lines. 
  • 80% of White residents own a home, compared with 46% for both Black and Hispanic or Latino residents. 
  • Lower-income residents are disproportionately affected, with nearly half of those earning less than $50,000 reporting barriers to affordable housing.
  • Black (86%) and Hispanic or Latino (85%) residents are more likely to say some have a harder time than others obtaining affordable housing 
  • Black and Hispanic or Latino residents were also more likely to report barriers obtaining desirable housing (38% and 40%)

When looking at a similar poll conducted in 2022, strong majorities in both surveys recognize the connection between housing and health (77% in 2022 and 78% in the current survey.) The latest findings also show that 43% of residents report spending more than 30% of their income on housing, up from 38% in 2022. 

At the same time, compared to 2022, more residents say they are unsure about the role (or impact) of key drivers of health—access to quality childcare and education, reliable transportation, and a steady, good paying job—on a person’s ability to lead a healthy life. Notably, the share of respondents who said “don’t know” to whether or not the lack of access to necessary resources is a cause of higher death rates of Black infants doubled from 10% to 20%.

“What's striking isn't what New Jerseyans believe about the drivers of health; it's how much less certain they've become since 2022,” said Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “The share of people saying 'don't know' has grown across nearly every social driver we asked about, even as the lived experience of these pressures has only deepened. It points to a public that's feeling the squeeze without necessarily naming or recognizing it as a health issue.”

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to get to health equity faster and pave the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.

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