NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Nearly 60% of New York voters believe their family would have a “better future” if they fled New York City for good, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The poll by Fontas Advisors/Core Decision Analytics found crime “is the cloud hanging over New Yorkers’ heads right now,” with public safety the number one concern among voters, the majority of whom believe the city is headed down the wrong track.
Asked if their family would “have a better future” if they permanently left the city, a stunning 59% of voters agreed, up from 42% in February 2022.
New Yorkers are split on their optimism about the future of the city, with 51% saying the city’s best days are ahead and 49% saying they're in the past.
Only 9% of respondents ranked their quality of life in the city as “excellent,” while 32% said “good,” 36% said “fair,” and 23% said “poor.”
“New Yorkers are saying, ‘You know what, I don’t need to be here anymore. I can do remote work from anywhere else in the world, let alone just leaving the city and going to the suburbs. What benefit does New York City have for me today if I can’t even take the subway and feel safe?’” George Fontas, founder and CEO of Fontas Advisors, told 1010 WINS.
Fontas said the city should be “deeply concerned” by the 59% statistic, calling it the “fundamental issue we need to be focused on.”
“Crime is certainly driving that level of pessimism,” he said.
The poll found voters overwhelmingly believe crime is the “most important” issue facing the city today, with 41% ranking it as their biggest concern. Coming in at a distant second was “inflation/gas prices/cost of living” at 19%. All other issues—including housing, job creation, health care access and education—were in the single digits.
The poll was conducted ahead of Mayor Eric Adams’ 100th day in office this Sunday. It also covered a wide range of topics that included COVID-19 mandates, homelessness and state bail reform.
A whopping 92% of New Yorkers support changing the state’s bail laws so judges can consider the dangerousness of a defendant when determining bail, including 60% who strongly agree, the poll found.
Still, 94% of voters believe “New York City needs to balance stricter law enforcement alongside solutions to the societal problems that cause crime,” which is a common talking point of the Adams administration. On gun violence, 85% are supportive of Adams launching a new NYPD anti-gun unit.
The poll interviewed 840 city voters online between March 28 and March 31 with an overall margin of error of +/-3.38%.
Detailed results of the poll can be found here.
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