New Heldrich report: Measuring the Awareness and Opinions of NJ’s Earned Sick Leave Law and Family Leave Insurance Program

May 17, 2022

In 2019, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development asked the Heldrich Center to conduct a multi-year study of New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance program (FLI), Earned Sick Leave law (ESL), and Temporary Disability Insurance program. The study was designed to provide information in two phases: first, about the public’s awareness and utilization of paid leave, and second, about the public’s awareness of and attitudes toward using ESL and FLI benefits. The Heldrich Center partnered with the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations’ Center for Women and Work and the Eagleton Institute of Politics Center for Public Interest Polling to support data collection and analysis. 

This report presents the results from the second phase of the study focusing on the public’s awareness of and opinions toward using FLI and ESL. It is based on a statewide survey asking questions about New Jersey’s FLI program and ESL law in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Fall 2021. The study period overlapped the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a policy-relevant time for understanding and using these leave programs in New Jersey, and having important implications for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to target its outreach plan to educate the public about these state programs. The authors of this report were Heldrich Center staff members Sean Simone, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation; Jessica Starace, Research Associate; Marjory Palius, Ed.D., Research Project Manager; Kristine Joy Bacani, Research Project Assistant; and Brittney Donovan, Research Project Assistant.

Recent Posts

NJSPL Report: Higher Education in New Jersey – A Policy Review

By Angie Nga Le, Stuart Shapiro, and Elizabeth Cooner New Jersey’s state higher education plan, “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation – A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education” (the Plan), was introduced in 2019. It envisions an ecosystem where every...

Healthcare, Policy, and the Opioid Crisis: Bridging Gaps in Access

Healthcare, Policy, and the Opioid Crisis: Bridging Gaps in Access with Zoe Lindenfeld This week on EJB Talks, new Bloustein School Assistant Professor Zoe Lindenfeld talks to Dean Stuart Shapiro about her research on substance use disorders, particularly the opioid...

Public Policy and Surveillance Tech

By Marc Pfeiffer ICMA.org, February 1, 2025 I asked Claude.ai to define surveillance technology. In response, it replied, “devices, systems, or software that are used to monitor, track, and collect information on people, places, or things.” Municipalities use a wide...

Lindenfeld & Mauri Find Uptick for MOUD at FQHCs

Introduction To reduce morbidity and mortality among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), the evidence is strongest for medications for OUD (MOUD), which include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are essential...

NJSPL: Ensuring Accurate & Equitable Vaccination Info

By Yonaira Rivera and Vivek Singh  In today’s digital world, large language models like ChatGPT are important sources of healthcare information, particularly for those who face barriers like insurance issues or language constraints. As part of the IMPACT-NJ project,...

Upcoming Events

Event Series Student Services

Bloustein Librarian Open Office Hours

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Have a research or library question you need assistance with? Visit Open Office Hours with Bloustein Librarian Julia Maxwell. Every Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the Civic Square […]