NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Roughly three-quarters of New York City voters think crime is a “very serious problem” in the city, according to a new poll.
The exact figure—74% of voters—is a record high since Quinnipiac College started asking New Yorkers their views on crime in 1999.
Until the latest Quinnipiac poll was released Wednesday, the largest share of voters who thought crime was a “very serious problem” was 50% in January 2016.
Crime has surged to the front of voters’ minds and is now “the most urgent issue facing New York City,” according to 46% of voters polled.
Another 14% of voters said affordable housing is the top issue facing the city, while 9% ranked homelessness first.
The poll found 43% of voters believe New York is less safe than other big cities—the highest level since the question was first asked by Quinnipiac in 2003, when just 16% of voters said it was less safe than other big cities.
The poll saw yet another first: 65% of city voters said they personally worry about being a victim of crime, compared to 33% who didn’t. That’s the largest share since the question was first asked in April 1999, when 57% said they feared for their personal safety and 42% said they didn’t.
Among other hot topics, the poll found New Yorkers feel less safe in the subway.
Less than half of voters (48%) said they feel safe in the transit system, while 40% said they feel unsafe, with nearly a quarter (21%) saying they feel “very unsafe.” In October 2015, 76% of voters said they felt safe in the subway, while just 12% said they felt unsafe.
A number of recent high-profile crimes—including the deadly ambush of two NYPD officers in Harlem, the fatal shoving of a woman onto Times Square subway tracks, and the killing of a teenage Burger King cashier during a robbery in East Harlem—have put the issues of crime front and center. Just last week, Mayor Eric Adams and President Joe Biden met in the city to discuss curbing gun violence.
Related
Related
Related
