Only 30% Of New Yorkers Are Happy With City’s Quality Of Life, 50% Plan On Leaving Within Five Years

Believe it or not, high prices combined with massive taxation and out of control crime aren’t the keys to keeping the citizens of major American cities happy.

Such was reflected in the results of a new poll, reported on by the NY Post, which revealed this week that only half of New Yorkers plan on staying in the city over the next five years.

A mere 30% said they were happy with the quality of life in the city, the poll – run by The Citizens Budget Commission – also revealed. Additionally, the poll also found merely 37% of New Yorkers now rate public safety in their local area as excellent or good. This marks a significant decline from six years prior, when 50% of residents felt positively about their neighborhood’s safety.

Queens Councilman Robert Holden said to the Post: “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.”

The survey of 6,600 households revealed half feel unsafe using the subway by day, a stark drop from 2017. It also highlighted significant declines in satisfaction with public education, government services, and cleanliness.

Dissatisfaction grew regarding traffic, safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and subway services. Higher income Manhattan residents and white individuals reported higher satisfaction with city life, although overall contentment with life quality in NYC fell. Yet, 50% were pleased with their neighborhood quality.

Approval varied by income, with 43% of those earning above $200,000 and 30% of those making less than $35,000 expressing satisfaction. In affluent areas, over 70% rated their neighborhood positively, a decline from six years ago. This dissatisfaction coincides with rising major crime rates from 2017 to 2023, per NYPD data.

Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director, Center for an Urban Future added: “The survey is a sobering, but hugely valuable assessment of what things matter the most for New Yorkers right now.”

“Policymakers should take notice and grasp that there’s still a lot of work to do to make the city more livable and affordable.”

Tom Grech, the president and CEO of Queens Chamber of Commerce simply added: “In general, it’s pretty ugly out there. There’s a free for all mentality over there the last couple of years. There’s a little sense of things spiraling out of control. We’ve got to get back to basics.”

Today’s cover: Mayor Adams’ New York is a blunderful life – and it’s only getting worse https://t.co/Um2oTHgsv5 pic.twitter.com/Po4o1tNkXT

— New York Post (@nypost) March 20, 2024