What to Know
- Rutgers Center for State Health Policy conducted a study to determine which factors stress New Jerseyans out the most
- Not having enough money to pay the bills topped the charts, followed by not having enough time and employment-related worries
- Poll respondents said concern over a relative's health was more stressful than worry about their own personal health
If you live in New Jersey, it's pretty likely that you're no stranger to stress. More than 1.5 million residents in the Garden State -- more than 25 percent -- say they have "a great deal of stress" in their lives, and another 44 percent report at least "some stress," a new study finds.
Rutgers Center for State Health Policy conducted a study to determine which factors stress New Jerseyans out the most. The results of its 2016 New Jersey Health and Well-Being Poll were released on Wednesday.
Researchers asked about stress or worry overall in the past month. The No. 1 stressor? Not having enough money to pay bills. Twenty-two percent of respondents (about one in six) reported a great deal of stress from that in the past month. Close behind, though, is not having enough time (21 percent) and stress over jobs or looking for employment (18 percent).
Poll participants appeared to be more concerned about their family's health than their own. Fifteen percent of respondents reported major stress over family or an immediate family member's health, while just 11 percent said "personal health" caused a great deal of stress in the last month.
While family was a comparatively low stress generator overall, it varied greatly across racial/ethnic groups. Latinos, for example, were the most likely to report major stress or worry about family members (24 percent). That compared with 16 percent for black respondents and 13 percent each for white and Asian respondents.
"Not having enough time to do the things you want or need to do" also showed disparities across racial/ethnic groups. Twenty-nine percent of black respondents reported that caused them "a great deal of stress" over the last month, compared with 23 percent for Latinos, 24 percent for Asians and 19 percent for whites. Those who were in fair or poor health or concerned about finances also were more likely to report "not enough time" as a major stressor.
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The poll was conducted with 1,202 adults in New Jersey from Oct. 24, 2016 through Nov. 22, 2016 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent. Click here for the full results and methodology.
