Vast majority of NYC voters think ‘everything seems to be in the dumper’ when it comes to affordability and other key issues, new poll finds

While New York City voters remained largely lukewarm toward their elected officials, a new poll released this week by the Siena Research Institute showed that a majority of NYC voters in the region shared the sentiment that the country was headed in the wrong direction on a number of issues.

On questions regarding, affordability, integrating Artificial Intelligence into daily life, the United States’ image on the world stage, immigration enforcement and protecting constitutional rights, 60% or more of voters in the Big Apple responded that the nation was headed in the wrong direction.

 George Arzt, political consultant and former press secretary to Mayor Ed Koch, told amNewYork he wasn’t too surprised by the outcome, noting that when New Yorkers are displeased, they are rarely shy about it.

“ You have to understand that New Yorkers are very keen on giving straight answers, and most of the time, they are quite fussy about their answers,” Arzt said. “So given that, you would have to say that the poll is affected by the crisis that the nation is in abroad.”

He said that international conflict and it’s ripple effect on the economy and the price of oil could be impacting public opinion closer to home. 

“Iran, the stock market, everything seems to be in the dumper, and that affects local politics,” he said.

However, NYC voters’ outlook for the state was a little better, with questions about the state’s handling of K-12 education, improving state transportation infrastructure and safeguarding the environment just managing to eke out a majority of favorable responses among NYC area voters.

Still, in areas like NYS’s efforts to reduce crime, create more affordable housing and the state’s general fiscal condition, voters in the five boroughs said the state was headed in the wrong direction with upwards of 50% of respondents sharing unfavorable responses with Siena.

Responses from NYC voters were not shown by party affiliation, but statewide responses—of which voters in the NYC region made up 40%— tended to split along party lines with Democrats viewing the Democratic-led state outlook more favorably and Republicans viewing the Trump-led national outlook more favorably.

“ Don’t forget we’re a blue city and the administration is not terribly popular with New Yorkers,” Arzt said.

The one notable bipartisan overlap was respondents’ sentiments on housing and the affordability crisis, Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in an analysis of the latest numbers.

“Even Democrats agree with Republicans and independents that the state is headed in the wrong direction on housing and cost of living,” Greenberg said.

With midterms approaching, none of the incumbents running for reelection received a ringing endorsement from poll respondents, either statewide or in the NYC region. That includes Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is running for re-election this November. Though her favorability rating dipped by 8 points, the Siena poll found that her projected lead on Bruce Blakeman, the Republican gubernatorial nominee and Nassau County executive, grew by 3 points, with 49% of those polled favoring Hochul and 33% backing Blakeman.

In Siena pollster’s analysis of the latest data, Greenberg questioned whether the lackluster public opinion stemmed from the state budget—now over a month late. The ninth extension runs out Wednesday, and legislators will either need to come to an agreement or pass a tenth extender.