Although nearly every story ever written about MTV’s Jersey Shore is followed by a torrent of protests from actual Jerseyites who believe that the show’s primarily carpetbagging New York-based cast is doing irreparable harm to their home’s reputation, new research reveals that, actually, it’s had next to no impact on anyone’s opinion of New Jersey, really. In fact, in a study conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University, 43 percent of people who watch Jersey Shore were found to have a favorable impression of the state versus the 41 percent among people who have never even seen it, so it actually seems to be helping—in the estimation of the poll’s director, perhaps by raising awareness that Jersey has a beach, which is that thing Snooki occasionally passes out on. And overall, only 18 percent of all respondents had an unfavorable view of New Jersey, while the rest had mixed views, were unsure, or didn’t really want to take a survey about New Jersey right now. So calm down, New Jersey: Apparently people like you as much as they ever did, which is to say only sort of. (But just so we're clear, Chris Christie probably isn’t helping things either.)
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