New Yorkers not “happy” and half want to leave city: Mayor admits frustration after survey and blames immigration crisis

Less than a third (30%) of NYC residents say they are “happy” and just over half plan to live in the city for the next few years. That’s according to a survey released today by the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), a nonprofit group.

This is the first post-pandemic survey of its kind conducted by the CBC, which also found that Only 37% of New Yorkers believe public safety in their neighborhood is excellent or goodcompared to 50% six years ago.

When asked if he plans to stay in NYC until 2028 –Most expensive and populous city in the country- Only 50% of respondents said yes, down from 58% in 2017. Half 6,600 households were surveyed They also said they felt unsafe traveling on the metro during the day, an improvement from more than 80% who felt the same in 2017.

The question pointed out A sharp decline in the assessment of the quality of public education, sanitation and other government services City Ma. There were even more New Yorkers Dissatisfied with traffic, safety of cyclists and pedestrians and general service of Metro.

“Policymakers should take note and realize that there is still much work to be done to make the city more livable and affordable.”

According to the survey, whites, Manhattan residents and those with higher incomes were more likely than other groups to report being satisfied with their lives in the city.

Curiously 50% of residents said they were happy with the quality of life in their neighborhood, but not in the rest of the city, but this also depends on income: about 43-45% of those who earn more than $100,000 a year are allowed to live in their neighborhood. While only 30% of those earning less than $35,000 a year feel the same.

In areas like Upper East and West Side of Manhattan, SoHo, Tribeca, Brooklyn and coastal sections of Queens and southern Staten Island That number skyrocketed: More than 70% said their neighborhood was excellent or good. Still, that metric was down from six years ago, when a majority of people in every borough and all of Staten Island said they enjoyed living in their neighborhoods.

According to NYPD statistics, all major crime rates increased between 2017 and 2023, leading to growing dissatisfaction with life in the city. Although crime has declined, Gun violence in NYC continues. Three people have been shot dead in the metro so far this year.

“The survey is a thoughtful, but extremely valuable, assessment “What things are most important to New Yorkers right now,” Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), commented. “Policymakers should take note and understand that there is still There is a lot of work to be done to make the city more livable and affordable“

He Mayor Eric Adams During a press conference today he tried to distance himself from the survey and put a positive spin on it, saying “8.3 million people (there are) 35 million different opinions.” But if He admits that he also feels frustrated in the city.

“People have a right to be angry about what has happened The migration and asylum seeker crisis And how it has affected the quality of life of migrants and asylum seekers and New Yorkers,” the mayor was quoted as saying. The New York Post.. “I know New Yorkers are feeling a certain way right now.”

A detailed survey can be accessed here. A Siena College survey was identified in September Crime (73%) Among New Yorkers’ greatest concerns generally. According to another alarming survey released last summer, 70% of NYC residents said they fear being a victim of a crime.

This migration crisis Marked two years of Adams’ administration, in the middle A national political battle between Democrats and Republicans. In September, the mayor declared that a mass influx of immigrants would “destroy” the city, claiming Lack of resources from Joe Biden’s government.

It is estimated that between April 2022 and December 2023 164,500 people They passed through the city’s intake center looking on $10.6 billion dollars A new total estimated cost of the migration crisis Till the end of FY 2025.

Besides, State penalty reform activated in 2020 is linked to city exemptions, according to NYPD leaders. “The real question is when state legislators, district attorneys and city councils will recognize and fix the crisis they have created,” New York Police Detectives Union (DEA) President Paul DiGiacomo recently commented.

According to critics, so far this decade State laws has made theft a viable option For some criminals like Reynaldo Quinones, a 32-year-old man who has made 54 arrests in the city, most of them in the metro.