Bad Apple.
New Yorkers rate the Big Apple’s quality of life — on issues such as public safety, cleanliness and mass transit — significantly worse than the pre-pandemic times and just slightly better than two years ago, a Citizens Budget Commission survey of more than 1,700 residents found.
Just over a third of residents said quality of life in the five boroughs was good or excellent — a significant drop from 2017, when about half of New Yorkers surveyed gave it the top rating.
The deep level of displeasure regarding crime and government services presents a challenge to whoever the next New York City mayor will be next year, according to the CBC’s “Straight from New Yorkers 2025” poll.
“`Straight from New Yorkers 2025′ paints a stark picture: New Yorkers remain much more
dissatisfied with the quality of life, City services, and public safety than they were before
the pandemic,” the business-funded CBC said.
“If New York City is to remain competitive and continue attracting residents and businesses, people have to feel much more positively about many of the aspects of their life in the city.”
The quality of life ratings fall considerably below the rankings residents gave in the same survey conducted in 2017 — though it noted some real progress from a more recent post-pandemic 2023 survey.
“The findings about Bronx residents and among Black and Hispanic New Yorkers — where dissatisfaction levels are the highest — are particularly troubling,” CBC said in an analysis of the findings.
The poll found:
- Only 34% of respondents rate the city’s quality of life as excellent or good in 2025, a substantial decrease from 51% in 2017 and slightly better than 30% in 2023
- The proportion of residents who rate their neighborhood as an excellent or good place to live fell from 63% in 2017 to 56% in 2025, although the rating is higher than 50% in 2023.
- Only 42% rate public safety in their neighborhood excellent or good — up from 37% in 2023, but still down from 50% in 2017 — even though Mayor Eric Adams this week announced historically low numbers of murders and shootings thus far this year.
- Subway safety ratings are “alarmingly low,” despite decreases in serious felony crimes: only 50% of New Yorkers feel safe during the day and only 22% feel safe at night, down substantially from 46% in 2017.
- Only 27% of residents rate the overall quality of government services as excellent or good, up from 23% in 2023 but lower than 44% in 2017.
- Just 11% of New Yorkers said their tax dollars are spent wisely, down from 21% in 2017.
- 36% of respondents said their neighborhoods were clean, up from 34% in 2023 but well below 47% approval in 2017.
- Subway services were rated 19% lower than in 2017, bus service 11% lower and rat control 18% lower, despite Adams’ war on vermin.
- Residents rate public education 8% lower than in 2017.
“City residents continue to be dissatisfied with many facets of city life and services. The city’s post-pandemic satisfaction recovery is nowhere near complete,” the CBC analysis said.
Still, there are important bright spots, indicating some post-COVID recovery.
For example, ratings for neighborhood parks and ease of travel within the city, have rebounded to 2017 levels.
Neighborhood services like libraries, fire protection, and EMS maintain higher ratings, particularly in Manhattan and Staten Island.
But there was another troubling trend. Wealthier New Yorkers gave lower grades to the quality of life in their neighborhoods than they did two years ago.
As for the future, 55% of New Yorkers plan to remain in the city over the next five years, up from 50% in 2023 but down from 58% in 2017.
The top three reasons New Yorkers cite for wanting to flee New York City are lack of affordability (76%), safety concerns (73%), and living space (60%).
New Yorkers want the city administration to focus on safety, housing, infrastructure, and cleanliness.
The CBC survey of 1,750 city residents was conducted by the data research firm Polco in March and April. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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