New Jerseyans have a particularly grim outlook on the economy, and aren't very hopeful about the Democratic stimulus plan coming from Washington, according to several recent polls.

A Quinnipiac University poll out today found that 67 percent of New Jerseyans don't think the plan will help them personally, and only 51 percent are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" that the stimulus will help solve the nation's economic problems.

The survey shows faith in President Obama's handling of the economy - 59 to 21 - but only 33 percent approve of the way Gov. Corzine is handling the economy.

The poll questioned 1,173 registered New Jersey voters and has a 2.9 percent margin of error.

Two recent analyses by Gallup also show that the bad news is having a bigger impact here than almost anywhere else in the country. Gallup's "State of the States" surveys put New Jersey among the top 10 states with the lowest consumer confidence and worst job market.

On the job market, New Jersey tied with California for seventh worst, according to Gallup. Its rankings were based on 2008 surveys that asked more than 100,000 people whether their companies were hiring, maintaining their work force or reducing employee counts. States with the smallest gaps between hiring and reductions ranked lowest. Michigan fared the worst while Wyoming did the best for job markets.

New Jersey ranked 10th worst in the Gallup analysis of consumer confidence. The rankings were based on questions asking Americans to rate the nation's economic conditions and say whether those conditions were getting better or worse. Gallup turned those answers into a formula, and New Jersey wound up with a -106 rating. Rhode Island was lowest, at -125. The most confident state was North Dakota, at -69.

Gallup noted that the places with the least confidence tended to be northeastern states with close ties to Wall Street and Michigan, with its struggling auto industry. The most confident states came from oil-producing areas that benefitted from rising oil prices in 2008.

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