Are NJ residents sexist? Mostly not, but depends on politics

Do you think most Garden State residents are sexist?

A new survey finds a majority of New Jersey residents reject beliefs that are consistent with sexism but opinions vary depending on whether you’re a Democrat or Republican.

Krista Jenkins, the director the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, said when people were asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement “most women interpret innocent remarks or actions as being sexist," about 37% agree while 63% disagree with that statement.

When respondents were asked about the statement “most women fail to fully appreciate all that men do for them," 33% agree while 67% percent disagree.

She said when New Jersey residents were asked about the statement “women seek to get power by getting control over men," 29% agree while 71% did not.

About 42% believe that "women are too easily offended."

About 49% believe that "most women believe men don't really care about equality."

Jenkins said the poll found notable differences in beliefs depending on the age of the person answering the question.

For example, 57% of those 55 and older disagreed with the notion that most women interpret innocent remarks as sexist, while 68% of those 18-34 disagreed.

She also noted partisanship did play a part in how people responded to the poll.

On the question about women often interpreting innocent remarks or actions being sexist, “49% of Republicans agree with that statement as compared with only 28% of Democrats.”

Jenkins said the survey also finds a relationship between sexism, President Donald Trump, and attitudes toward important social issues.

She said, generally speaking, those who reject sexist claims are significantly more likely to support the president’s impeachment in the House of Representatives than are those who endorse sexist claims.

She pointed out that 50% of New Jersey voters support the impeachment of the president when asked in October, but that figure is 66% among those with low sexism scores and 40% among those with high scores.

The survey was conducted by live callers using landlines and cell phones between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2 with a scientifically selected random sample of 801 New Jersey adults.

You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com