NJ voters weigh in on Ebola, Christie

Almost nine out of 10 (88 percent) New Jersey voters who participated in a Monmouth University poll released Thursday said they were following news of the Ebola virus, and a slight majority approved of the way Gov. Chris Christie has handled the issue.

Less than four in 10 surveyed felt the same way about President Barack Obama, but most feel that overall, Ebola is not a large threat.

"One in four voters in New Jersey believe that Ebola poses a major public threat, while seven in 10 say it poses a minor threat, at 48 percent, or no threat at all, at 21 percent," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Only 37 percent approved of the way the federal government has handled the Ebola crisis, while 46 percent disapproved.

"Christie gets a 53 percent approval rating on his handling of Ebola, with just 27 percent who disapprove of the way he's handled this issue," Murray said.

Christie was thrust into the national spotlight yet again recently when nurse Kaci Hickox was detained at Newark Liberty International Airport and quarantined at a nearby hospital, even though she claimed she was not showing any symptoms.

"Sixty-seven percent of New Jersey voters approved of the decision to quarantine that nurse; only 19 percent disapproved," Murray said. "While voters thought it was a good idea to quarantine the nurse, they were split on the subsequent decision to let her go. Thirty-eight percent supported that move, versus 40 percent who disapproved."

The survey was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute via telephone from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2014, with 802 likely voters in New Jersey. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.