Gov. Chris Christie (R) seems to have read the tea leaves correctly in setting up a commission to make recommendations on how to reform New Jersey’s public pension system. And that’s not just regarding the needs of the system — it also appears to be prescient regarding the views of his constituents, according to a study Quinnipiac University released on Aug. 11.
Most interesting is a finding that suggests that there is a need for an expert panel to make proposals regarding how to make the public pension system work better. Quinnipiac reports that voters are divided on what to do: 12% say takes should be increased to pay for public pensions, but 26% say that the answer is to reduce the amount public plans owe their employees at retirement.
In another sign of ambivalence, a majority — 53% — support combining those two approaches, but at the same time 55% say public employees should not agree to accept lower pension payments in exchange for higher taxes to make their pensions more secure. And half of voters oppose Christie’s decision to reduce the sums put into the public employees’ pension fund.
A slim majority — 52% — say that a better way to save money on pensions is not to cut benefits but to increase the amount that public employees contribute to their pension funds.
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