New York City has been shedding residents for years, particularly wealthy citizens who have gravitated toward areas with less oppressive tax rates.
As leftist prosecutors and unchecked illegal immigration have contributed to widespread disorder and rising crime across the Big Apple, one recent survey found that the nation’s most populous city could soon experience an even more pronounced exodus over the next several years.
The Citizens Budget Commission polled 6,600 New York City residents between September and December and found that one-third of the respondents described life in the city as “poor.” Furthermore, just 30% said it was either “good” or “excellent,” compared to 50% who said the same in surveys conducted in both 2008 and 2017.
As for public safety, the percentage of residents who rated it as “good” or “excellent” dropped by 13 points — from 50% to 37% — between 2017 and the most recent survey.
While half of those surveyed said that certain public services, such as garbage pickup and fire protection, were effective, fewer than one-fourth rated government services overall as “good” or “excellent.”
Fifty percent of New Yorkers say they plan to leave New York City over the next five years, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Citizens Budget Commission. https://t.co/PzdponuuzK
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) March 21, 2024
CBC President Andrew Rein analyzed the results of the poll, noting that “it’s important to consider context — coming out of the pandemic, employment just recently returning to pre-COVID levels and increasing affordability challenges,” but concluded that the “responses crystalize the stark reality that they clearly rate the quality of life and quality of City services as not good.”
Ana Champeny, the organization’s vice president for research, expressed her hope that local leaders will use this information to shape future policies citywide.
“This feedback should complement and be viewed alongside City service performance data to get a sharper view into service quality and to shape continuing conversations with stakeholders on City priorities,” she said.
Center for an Urban Future Executive Director Jonathan Bowles agreed, describing the polling data as “a sobering, but hugely valuable assessment of what things matter the most for New Yorkers right now.”
He went on to assert that city officials “should take notice and grasp that there’s still a lot of work to do to make the city more livable and affordable.”
