New Yorkers feel that quality of life in New York City has dropped in recent years, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
About 30% of New Yorkers say that their quality of life in the city is “excellent” or “good,” compared to 50% in 2017 and in 2008, according to a poll conducted by the Citizens Budget Commission. New York City has become burdened with a rise in crime and a growing immigration crisis that has weakened city services.
“The drop is stark,” Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, told The New York Times. New York City in 2017 was “seven years into a really robust recovery.”
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Crime was among the top issues New Yorkers felt was affecting their quality of life in the city, according to the poll. Rates of violent crimes like homicide or felony assault were higher in 2023 than in 2019, as were burglaries and grand larceny, according to available data from the city.
Less than half of New Yorkers felt safe riding the subway during the day in 2023, compared to over 80% in 2017 and 2008, according to the poll. Even fewer New Yorkers felt safe riding the subway at nighttime, at just 22% in 2023 compared to roughly 45% in 2017 and 2008.
Just over half of New Yorkers feel comfortable walking through their neighborhoods at nighttime, a roughly 20% drop from 2017 and 2008, according to the poll.
“Our crime rates in the district, they’ve not been great, right?” Pierina Sanchez, a Bronx councilwoman, told the NYT, noting she was not surprised by the polling results.
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New York City has also recently become encumbered by an escalating migrant crisis. The city since 2022 has taken in over 180,000 migrants, “a number larger than the population of most US cities,” Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said on Mar. 15.
To support the surge of migrants with taxpayer money, New York City has been forced to make budget cuts to public services and programs. Only 24% of New Yorkers felt that public services and programs were “excellent” or “good” in 2023, according to the poll.
The Citizens Budget Commission poll was conducted from September to December 2023 with over 6,600 respondents across New York City. The citywide margin of error was ±1 percent.
Adams’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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