newjerseynewsroom.com

It’s like the t-shirt says, “Jersey Girls don’t pump gas."

And neither do Jersey guys.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind poll made public Monday finds 63 percent of New Jersey adults support the state rule that requires a gas station attendant to pump their gas. Another 23 percent say they are willing to pump gas and 14 percent say they’re not sure, or have mixed views.

There are no differences by age. The majority opinion is consistent from the very youngest drivers to the very oldest.

“Clearly, this is an aspect of life in the Garden State that Jerseyans have embraced,” Prof. Peter Woolley, the poll’s director, said.

However, women are significantly more likely to support the rule than men. Female support is very strong at 72 to 15 percent, while men support it by 55 to 31 percent.

“I don’t call it pampering,” Woolley said, “until I go to Pennsylvania and try to figure out how the pump works.”

But there are some political undercurrents. Self-described conservatives support the rule by 55 to 29 percent, while liberals approve by the much more robust margin of 70 to 21 percent. Republicans approve by a hardy 61 to 25 percent, but Democrats by a hardier 72 to 19 percent.

“Some voters think the regulation is government interference,” Woolley said. “Others think it’s sensible and convenient.”

New Jersey is not unique in this respect. Oregon also forbids customers to pump gas.

“We’ll run the question again in summer, when it’s not snowing or pouring rain, and it’s not too hot either,” Woolley said. “Perhaps then drivers will be more inclined to get out of the car to work the pump themselves.”

The poll of 800 registered voters statewide was conducted by telephone from Jan. 2 through 8, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM