2017 Mid-Atlantic Coast Survey

A 5-state survey of coastal community residents

(New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia)

 SUMMARY 

Monmouth University, through the initiative and interdisciplinary resources of its Urban Coast Institute and Polling Institute, conducted a public opinion survey of coastal residents in the Mid-Atlantic region in the spring of 2017 on attitudes toward different aspects of a proposed Ocean Action Plan for the region. Because these institutes conducted a similar survey in 2009, this project is also able to track opinion changes among Mid-Atlantic coastal residents, particularly after a number of damaging storms hit this area including the Sandy disaster in 2012.

This unique study of coastal residents is one of three surveys on the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan, including a survey of key regional stakeholders (Fall 2016) and a survey of all residents from six states that make up the region (Summer 2017). These surveys are part of a larger Urban Coast Institute project to support mapping and facilitate dialogue about ocean planning in the Mid-Atlantic region. It was made possible through the generous support of a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The sample for the survey was divided into eight coastal regions: New York East (Suffolk coastal communities), New York West (Nassau), New Jersey North (Monmouth/Ocean), New Jersey South (Atlantic/Cape May), Delaware (Sussex), Maryland (Worcester), Virginia North (Accomack/Northampton) and Virginia South (Virginia Beach). A total of 1,005 permanent residents of coastal towns were interviewed by telephone from April 26 to May 31, 2017. The survey results have a ±3.1% margin of error.

Coastal Community Life

Most Mid-Atlantic coastal residents own their homes and many are long-time residents of their towns.

• Almost three-quarters (74%) of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents own their homes. Half (48%) of coastal residents live a mile or more from the beach, 38% live within a few blocks of the beach, and 13% live on the water.
• A majority (51%) of coastal residents are long-time residents of their towns, living there for more than 20 years or their whole lives.

Coastal residents take advantage of the activities their location provides them.

• Nearly 9-in-10 residents (89%) have swum, sunbathed, or walked along the shore of beaches near their homes.
• 58% have boated, canoed, kayaked, or jet-skied, and 51% have gone fishing, crabbing, or clamming in the waters near their homes.
• One-fifth of coastal residents own a boat.

Community Issues and Coastal Awareness

The vast majority of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents say that protecting the coast should be a high priority for their towns. They also say that coastal and ocean water pollution and sea level rise and storms are very serious concerns.

• Out of five issues that their towns might face, protecting the coastal and ocean environment is the issue that Mid-Atlantic coastal residents most often identify as a high priority for their towns (81% say it is a high priority). This is followed by improving public education (71% say it is a high priority), improving the local economy and creating jobs (65%), lowering taxes (60%), and controlling growth and development (50%).
• Nearly all coastal residents (95%) say the condition of the ocean and beaches are at least somewhat important to their local economies.
• Six-in-ten Mid-Atlantic coastal residents rate coastal and ocean water pollution (62%) and sea level rise and storms (60%) as very serious concerns, 53% say the same about the loss of wetlands and coastal habitats, and slightly under half say the amount of development along the coast (46%) and the disappearance of small-scale marine and fishing businesses (45%) are very serious concerns.
• Residents are much more concerned today about the threat of sea level rise and storm risks than in 2009 (+19 points to 60% saying it is a very serious concern), with all states except Maryland experiencing a double-digit increase.

Most residents have some knowledge about coastal and ocean issues in their local communities and recognize the impact the quality of ocean ecosystems can have in four different areas.

• 74% of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents say they know at least some about local coastal environment issues and 73% recognize that what happens along their coast affects the coasts of other states.
• 76% of coastal residents say the quality of ocean ecosystems is very important for protecting the global environment, 69% say it is very important for growing the local economies of coastal communities, 61% say it is very important for maintaining strong national security, and 59% say it is very important for developing new sources of energy.

Coastal Policy

Mid-Atlantic coastal residents tend to give the government poor marks on its handling of coastal issues. They say they are willing to pay more in taxes in order to protect coastal waters, and they believe it is important for the government to maintain a database with information about the health of the ocean.

• Four-in-ten coastal residents (39%) say the government is doing an excellent or good job protecting coastal wetlands and wildlife habitats. About one-third say the government is doing an excellent or good job managing fish and other marine life (32%) and collecting data that tracks the health of the ocean’s ecosystem (31%). Slightly under a third (28%) say the same about the government’s efforts to manage growth and development in coastal communities.
• Residents from northern Virginia, southern New Jersey, and Maryland tend to be slightly more positive about the government’s efforts to protect coastal wetlands and wildlife habitats and manage fish and other marine life, with roughly 40-50% saying the government is doing an excellent or good job. 
• Opinion is split on current efforts to protect local waters and beaches. Almost half of coastal residents (48%) say efforts are about right, but 42% say they are too little. Very few residents (5%) feel efforts are too much.
• Coastal residents of Maryland and Virginia are most likely to say efforts to protect local waters and beaches are about right (59%), while coastal residents of New York (47%) and New Jersey (45%) are most likely to say efforts are too little.
• A majority (68%) of residents say they are willing to pay more in taxes to protect the coastal waters, shoreline, and beaches in their towns.
• 67% of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents say it is very important for government to collect information and maintain databases on the health of the oceans, while another 24% say this is somewhat important. 

Opinions are mixed about how much input into coastal management decisions the federal government gives various stakeholders. Support for off-shore energy production has declined since 2009, and residents are generally supportive of certain restrictions placed on areas of the ocean.

• Just under half (47%) of coastal residents say the government does not give enough input to state and local officials or local fishing and marine industries into decisions about managing the ocean. About a third (36%) say the federal government does not give the mining and energy industries enough input into these decisions. 
• 72% of coastal residents say they would support placing electricity-generating windmills off the coast as long as they are not visible from the shoreline, 52% would support visible windmills, and only 22% would support off-shore oil and gas drilling.
• Almost 6-in-10 residents (63%) would support designating certain areas of the ocean where fishing would be restricted, and 78% would support such restrictions on oil and gas drilling.

Climate Change

The vast majority of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents believe in climate change. They are split on how prepared they think their towns are for sea level rise and storm risks.

• 83% of coastal residents believe in climate change compared to 15% who do not.
• 48% of coastal residents believe climate change has hurt their local fishing industries.
• Roughly three-quarters of coastal residents believe reports of future sea level rise and storm and flood damage are either accurate (59%) or underestimated (15%), but 23% say they are exaggerated. 
• 36% of coastal residents say human activity is the main cause of climate change, 19% say natural changes are the main cause, and 42% say both are equally to blame. Coastal residents in Virginia are least likely to say human activity is the main cause of climate change (19% say this) but most likely to say climate change and natural changes are equally to blame (61%).
• 57% of Mid-Atlantic coastal residents say their communities are prepared to deal with the threats of sea level rise and coastal storms, while 40% say their towns are not prepared.
• Besides the 18% who already say their communities are very prepared for the threats of sea level rise and storms, 42% of coastal residents say it is possible to be prepared, 21% say it is not possible, and 19% say they are not sure.

The questions referred to in this report are as follows:

A.  LIVING ON THE COAST                               

B.  COASTAL COMMUNITY ISSUES

C.  COASTAL AND OCEAN POLICY

[ QUESTIONS C1 & C2 WERE ROTATED ]

[ QUESTIONS C6 THROUGH C8 WERE ROTATED ]

D.  CLIMATE CHANGE

Now, I’d like to ask you some questions about the world’s climate in general.

Some people have proposed using coastal resources to help meet our energy needs.

[ QUESTIONS D7 & D7A WERE ROTATED WITH D8 ]

Now just a few final questions so we can classify your answers.

E.  DEMOGRAPHICS

Click on pdf file link below for full report including methodology and results by key demographic groups.