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File under shocking: a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll has found that New Jersey residents believe their state government is corrupt.

According to the poll, close to two-thirds of the sample say there is “a lot” of political corruption in New Jersey. A similar poll in 2007 found the same results, but that was a jump from a 2004 poll that found only 45 percent of respondents answered the question the same way.

The poll also found that a majority — 54 percent — of New Jerseyans think their state is more corrupt than other states. This represents a significant increase since 2002, when only 11 percent of respondents thought so. Almost all of the remainder think the level of corruption in New Jersey is the same as elsewhere, with only three percent of respondents saying it’s less corrupt here.

Rutgers professor of political science David Redlawsk, who directed the poll, said that the results reflect “increased cynicism and negativity about government and politics.”

Governor-elect Chris Christie is a former US Attorney for New Jersey with a reputation for collaring slippery politicians, notably former Newark mayor Sharpe James and former state Senate president John Lynch. Christie’s resume, along with an explosive federal corruption sting in July that netted dozens of Jersey pols, made corruption a central issue in this year’s closely contested gubernatorial election. The two major-party candidates used the issue against each other, with Christie saying Gov. Corzine failed to take decisive action against the elected officials caught up in the sting and Corzine releasing a host of negative ads that called Christie’s ethical standards into question.

Here in Jersey City the question of whether officials charged with corruption should be forced to resign has become a hot-button issue. Many, including this news organization, called for city council president Mariano Vega* to resign after he was arrested in July. But only half of the poll respondents agree that merely being accused of a crime should force officeholders from their positions; 42 percent say such officials should be allowed to stay in office until found guilty.

The poll also asked questions about how tolerant New Jerseyans are of corruption and what types of activities are considered corrupt, as well as what groups should be responsible for rooting out corruption in politics. You can see the full text of the poll’s findings here (questions and results tables begin on page 5 of the report).