NJ Adults Split On Sending Troops, But Support Some U.S. Involvement In Ukraine: Poll

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—New Jersey adults are split on sending more U.S. troops to Europe as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. But, a majority support the U.S. being involved in some capacity, according to a new poll.

A Rutgers University poll shows 46 percent of surveyed adults supported sending more American troops into Eastern Europe as a deterrent, and 43 percent opposed that move. Eleven percent either had no opinion, or were unsure.

When asked what role they thought the U.S. should have in the war, 36 percent supported a major role and 37 percent supported a minor role.

The poll was conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers' New Brunswick campus. Results are from a statewide poll of 1,044 adults, conducted by phone from Feb. 25-March 4.

Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the ECPIP, said Garden State residents "mostly echo national views" on the U.S.'s role but are slightly more likely to support action.

"With New Jersey having one of the largest Ukrainian populations in the country, residents here are slightly more likely than Americans nationwide to want to see the U.S. play a major role in the conflict and send additional troops," Koning said.

According to the survey, people who were older, had a 4-year college degree, and/or earned more than $100,000 are more likely to say the U.S. should pay a major role in Ukraine.

Democrats and Republicans were both more likely to support sending more troops than Independents, the poll showed. And, support for sending U.S. troops increases with age and education levels.

“Ukraine is one of the few issues where respondents mostly agree nowadays, including across partisan lines,” said Jessica Roman, a research associate with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “Only minor differences emerge within key demographics, but the division in how the United States should be involved is widespread across all subgroups.”

More detailed results of the survey are available at this link.

How New Jersey Residents Are Helping Ukraine

People across the Garden State have rallied to provide support in Ukraine, as Patch national editor Beth Dalbey highlighted in this article last week. Here's how New Jersey has responded:

For Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, Mayor Paul Kanitra, the war is personal. Half his family are Polish and Slovakian. On the mayor's Facebook page, he wrote he felt "compelled to do something watching this insane horror unfold."

Kanitra, who has done humanitarian work in the area before, headed to Poland — like Ukraine, a shining example to the world with its outsized response to catastrophe — to help the millions of Ukrainians chased from their country by Putin's bombs.

Kanitra and his best friend, Greg, were in the thick of encounter after encounter that kicked them square in the gut. One of the first was with a bus full of Ukrainian children, already orphaned, headed to other orphanages throughout Poland.

"To say we were choked up would be an understatement. It was almost impossible to keep from tearing up," Kanitra wrote in a post on Facebook. "I offered them literally all of the money in my wallet, but in the end they only would take the equivalent of a few hundred dollars. ..." Patch's Karen Wall has more.

It so happens the middle school students at the Waterfront Montessori School in New Jersey are studying the Russian Revolution. Class discussion naturally turned to the invasion, and the students sent a clear message they were desperate to help the people of Ukraine, especially the kids their own age. They weren't sure how until Sophie Oquendo, a shy, soft-spoken 13-year-old raised her hand. What about a supply drive? Within a day, they had collected hundreds of donations of diapers, baby formula, children's books and clothing, and other items Ukrainian refugees need. Patch's Carly Baldwin has more.

In Hoboken, New Jersey, Sharon Florio is inviting graffiti on the brick walls of her vintage shop. It seemed to her that people were walking around oblivious to what was happening. "How can anyone not be inspired by the Ukrainian people's bravery?" So she stirred the pot, putting a bucket of chalk and a sign inviting people to show their support on her walls. They did that and more. Patch's Caren Lissner has more.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, in Montclair, people are plenty fired up.
Activists there want people to know a war like this never has just one tentacle, and the United States has some reckoning to do. Since Russia's first strike on Ukraine on Feb. 24, "the U.S. has clearly blustered forward trying to encourage the idea of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which would provide another launchpad for long-range missiles, including nuclear, near Russia's border," NJAntiWarAgenda's Bob Witanek said, comparing the situation to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Patch's Eric Kiefer has more.

In Bergen County, the father of two "Dancing With the Stars" professionals has set up a charity donation drive for the family's homeland. Aleksandr "Sasha" Chmerkovskiy set up the charity Baranova27 in Fort Lee. The charity is named for the address where his sons Maksim and Valentin grew up in Odessa, Ukraine, according to NorthJersey.com. The brothers have been posting about the war in their homeland and ways to help since Russia first invaded Ukraine weeks ago.

Baranova27 has an Amazon wish list for items to send overseas to Ukraine, as well as a physical drop-off location at 2060 Hudson Street, Fort Lee. Hours are updated daily on Instagram. Read more at this link.