A new poll released in advance of the July 4th holiday finds that most state residents consider the preservation and promotion of New Jersey’s Revolutionary War heritage personally important. Many also see New Jersey as one of the more important states involved in the fight for American independence.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Three-in-four New Jerseyans (77%) feel it is important to preserve and promote the state’s Revolutionary War heritage, including 4-in-10 who say this is very important to them personally.
- One-in-six New Jerseyans (17%) say their home state is the first one that comes to mind when thinking of the American Revolution. This is about the same number who name either Virginia (18%), Pennsylvania (15%), or Massachusetts (14%).
- Four-in-ten New Jerseyans (41%) feel their state was one of the more important states in the Revolutionary War effort.
- Most (58%), although not all, New Jerseyans say they are aware of at least one Revolutionary War site in the state. Just over 1-in-4 residents (28%) say they have visited one of these sites in the past five years.
In 2006, the federal government recognized New Jersey’s role as the crossroads in the fight for American independence by establishing the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, which encompasses 213 municipalities in 14 counties across the Garden State.
The survey also found regional differences, with residents of Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties exhibiting the highest levels of awareness and interest, while those in Essex and Hudson counties showed the lowest levels.
