A Majority of Weary New Yorkers Say Their Families Might be Better Off Elsewhere

By Yehudit Garmaise
When thinking about where to live right now, a majority of New Yorkers are thinking: Anywhere but here.
Fears about crime weigh most heavily on New
Yorkers’ minds right now, according to a new poll: with many New Yorkers saying
that they feel their families would have better futures elsewhere.
When asked to respond to the statement, “My
family would have a better future if we left New York City permanently,” 59% of
the respondents strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, the New York
Post reported.
A year ago, only 47% of respondents agreed
with the idea that they would rather live elsewhere.
Fontas Advisors/Core Decision Analytics
found that the number of New Yorkers who cited public safety as their most
pressing issue was 41%, which was more than double the 19% of respondents who
said that the city’s high cost of living was their biggest concern.
Crime and the high cost of living far
outweighed any other concerns, such as healthcare access, police reform, and
education.
“Crime is the cloud hanging over New
Yorkers’ heads right now,” said Matt Lien, vice president at Core Decision
Analytics. “New Yorkers are unsure of their futures here and want to see changes
in their neighborhoods.
“Address crime and you will change New
Yorker’s current outlook.”
“If crime and cost of living begin to
decrease, I’d expect New Yorkers’ attitudes to shift quickly.”
While voters report feeling apprehensive in
light of the constant barrage of violent crimes, New Yorkers who were surveyed
overwhelmingly brightened when asked about Mayor Eric Adams’ plans to bring
back public safety.
An astounding 95% of voters said that gun
traffickers should be hit with harsher penalties, and 92% of voters support
giving judges who impose bail the freedom to first assess whether defendants
are dangerous to others.
When asked about the NYPD’s new anti-gun unit of uniformed police who are trained to de-escalate violent situations, while honoring suspects’ Constitutional rights: 85% of New York voters approved.