New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's highly touted five-year Atlantic City revitalization plan might actually be working.

Do Atlantic City Facebook Page
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Today's Fairleigh Dickinson University-Public Mind poll shows Garden Staters are falling in love with the resort city all over again and they would tell their friends to "Do AC."

Over half (56 percent) of respondents would recommend Atlantic City to someone as a vacation destination. Nearly two thirds of those between the ages of 18 and 29 (63 percent) and 30 and 44 (66 percent) say they'd recommend the resort city, compared with barely half of those 45-59 and 60+ (52 percent and 47 percent).

Two-thirds (63 percent) of those who have visited a casino in the past 12 months would recommend the area and half (50 percent) who have not visited would do the same.

"Although there are some differences among key demographics in the state, the takeaway seems to be that people are proud of the historic gaming town and would be willing to recommend the area to someone looking for a vacation destination in New Jersey," says Krista Jenkins, professor of political science and director of PublicMind. "Adding to this are the high marks given to the area for its cleanliness and safety."

Almost sixty percent say the area is very (14 percent) or somewhat safe (45 percent), and a plurality (43 percent) believe the area is clean and well-maintained. Again, visits to a casino in the recent past help to burnish Atlantic City's appeal. On both measures, those who have visited a casino in the past 12 months evaluate the area more safely and well-maintained than those who haven't been to a casino recently.

"As New Jersey prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July and embark on a holiday weekend, these results should warm the hearts of Atlantic City defenders who have seen their seaside community buffeted by declining revenues and outside competition for gaming dollars," says Jenkins.

The survey of 705 registered voters in New Jersey was conducted by telephone with both landline and cell phones from June 10 through June 16, 2013, and has a margin of error of +/-3.7 percentage points.

 

 

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