A rally at the Capitol in Albany to unveil a “Make Rent Affordable” platform was held in January. Affordability is the main concern for New Yorkers of all political affiliations, a new Business Council poll found. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
Lori Van Buren/Times Union
ALBANY — A new poll released by the Business Council of New York State suggests that the cost of living remains the strongest concern for New York residents, transcending political party lines ahead of this year’s election.
The poll, commissioned by the council and conducted by the firm Axis Research, surveyed roughly 1,100 people in Albany, New York City and Long Island, across all age groups, races, genders, political affiliations and income levels. Of those surveyed, 32% said that affordability constituted the most important issue for them in the state, while an additional 20% listed “the economy.” Those two choices ranked higher than any other issue, such as crime, education or energy policy.
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Of the areas surveyed, respondents from the New York City boroughs of the Bronx and Brooklyn were the most likely to name “affordability” as their biggest issue, with 42% and 44%, respectively, listing it. In Albany, 28% of respondents said they were most focused on the affordability issue.
Affordability also stood out more prominently among Black and Hispanic voters, with 36% and 41%, respectively, ranking it their top issue, compared with 26% of whites. Respondents with a high school education or less, as well as those with low annual income, listed affordability as a top priority more often than those with a college degree or an income above $125,000 per year, the poll found.
Younger respondents, defined as under the age of 35, were also the most likely to list affordability as a top issue compared to other age groups. Younger people also were more likely to list housing as the top cost-related concern, something the poll attributes to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s call for rent freezes in the city. Among older, wealthier New Yorkers, utility bills made up the largest cost-related concern.
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The poll also found that the high cost of living remained a top priority for Democrats and Republicans. Given the choice between climate change and the cost of living, Democrats, Republicans and independent voters surveyed all overwhelmingly selected the latter, with around 90% choosing affordability regardless of affiliation.
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Heather Mulligan, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, said in a statement that the poll demonstrates that the state needs to provide easier pathways to build housing, reduce regulations on small businesses and lower energy costs to combat high costs in New York.
“Priority number one for lawmakers must be bringing down the unsustainable costs that are contributing significantly to the affordability crisis,” Mulligan said. “We need to get serious about lowering costs for families and businesses alike to keep our state economically viable.”
In Albany, 32% of those polled blamed public utility companies for the high cost of living, while 31% of those polled blamed government regulators. Regardless of region, more than three-fourths of respondents said they had seen their utility bills go up over the last year, and 47% of all respondents blamed either regulations or elected officials for higher costs.
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Politicians of all stripes have made New York’s high cost of living a central issue in their campaigns ahead of this year’s elections. Gov. Kathy Hochul has touted her administration’s push for more nuclear energy as a way of lowering energy costs, while her opponent, Republican Bruce Blakeman, has attacked her for high utility prices. In New York City, Mamdani has also highlighted the cost of living crisis, pledging to build more affordable housing and punish unscrupulous landlords to achieve lower costs.
The Business Council, an Albany nonprofit advocacy group that represents the interests of large and small firms in the state, has also launched a statewide affordability campaign that will rate proposed state legislation based on whether or not it lowers costs for New Yorkers, aiming to create greater public awareness of how a given bill can affect the cost of living in the state.