Nearly all New Jerseyans interact with someone of a different ethnicity or race at work but fewer do so away from their jobs, a new survey revealed.

About 86 percent of 612 state residents surveyed by phone in late January said they deal with people of a different background on the job, according to the New Jersey State of Diversity survey, which was released Tuesday.

It's a different story in non-work hours, though -- just 64 percent if respondents deal with someone that's not of the same race or ethnicity every day.

There were stark differences by ages in responses to that question. While 77 percent of 18 to 34 year olds interact with other races and ethnicities outside work, just 48 percent of survey participants 60 and older do. Among those 35-59, 61 percent have similar daily interactions.

Also of note, one in five people said they've heard comments at work that might be considered offensive to certain groups. That's about the same as last year when 19 percent said they'd heard remarks. Non-whites are more likely to hear an offensive remark, the survey said.

New Jersey is among the most diverse state in the nation. It's 56 percent white, the 10th smallest share in the country. The national average is 61 percent.

The survey was conducted by Lawrenceville-based Taft Communications in conjunction with Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.