A recent Citizens Budget Commission survey reveals that New Yorkers' satisfaction with various aspects of urban living has experienced a sharp downturn in the last six years.
The poll, which surveyed 6,600 households, paints a bleak picture of New Yorkers' perceptions of safety and overall well-being after the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to the findings, only 30 percent of New Yorkers feel content with their city, a staggering drop from 58 percent in 2017. Discontent appears to be prevalent among residents, despite the 76 percent vote President Joe Biden secured in 2020 and the 66 percent of Mayor Eric Adams in 2021.
Public safety emerged as a major concern, with just 37 percent of New Yorkers rating safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good. The current rating marks a 13 percent drop from the 50 percent rate from six years ago. The survey also reveals that only 49 percent of respondents felt safe riding the subway during the day, a stark drop from 82 percent in 2017. Similarly, feelings of safety plummeted to 22 percent when riding the subway at night and 51 percent when walking alone in their neighborhoods at night.
The dissatisfaction extended beyond safety concerns.
Residents also expressed discontent with various aspects of urban life, including public education (39 percent), cleanliness (34 percent), government services (24 percent) and transportation services, including traffic, bike and pedestrian safety.
Moreover, the uptick in crime, like murder, robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand larceny, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, has contributed to heightened unease among residents, particularly regarding subway and street safety at night.
The decline in satisfaction was evident across all demographics. Although certain groups, such as white individuals, Manhattan residents and higher-income earners, reported relatively higher levels of contentment, their satisfaction levels also experienced notable declines compared to six years ago.
This growing dissatisfaction among New Yorkers further reveals that, from 58 percent in 2017, only 50 percent of all New Yorkers are planning to stay in the Big Apple until 2028.
Queens Councilman Robert Holden voiced the sentiments of many New Yorkers in his statement.
"People are fed up with the quality of life. There's a general sense of lawlessness. You go into the CVS and there’s shoplifting. People’s cars get vandalized," he said.
NYC Democrats have no one to blame but themselves
In a recent press conference, Mayor Eric Adams tried to justify the results of the survey.
"I've been here for two years and three months of that. What I love about this report is it said how people say my priorities are in order, public safety, rats. Fortunately, the office of Mayor Eric Adams administration [is] by and large in line with New York; his priorities include public safety, housing and clean streets, parks and public spaces.
"People have a right to be angry over what has happened with the migrants and asylum seeker crises and how it has impacted the quality of life for migrants and asylum seekers and on everyday New Yorkers. I know New Yorkers are feeling a certain way right now," he said.
But instead of gaining sympathy, these survey results and statements by Adams quickly gained backlash from the public.
"The same Democrats complaining about this voted for this. They voted to end stop-and-frisk. They voted for politicians who declared New York a sanctuary for illegal aliens. They voted to release violent criminals. And now they are all, 'Ohnoes, our city sucks. How could this have happened?'" wrote John Nolte in his op-ed article for the Breitbart.
Post a Comment