NYC Poll: 50 Percent of City Plans to Leave in Next 5 Years

Fifty percent of New Yorkers say they plan to leave New York City over the next five years, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Citizens Budget Commission.

The poll, the first taken by the nonprofit since the COVID pandemic, also found:

• Only 30% rate the quality of life in NYC as excellent or good, down from 50% in 2017 and 2008; 33% rate the quality of life as poor.
• 50% rate the neighborhood they live in as excellent or good.
• Only 37% rate public safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good, down from 50% in 2017.
• New Yorkers feel only marginally safer riding the subway during the day now as they felt on the subway at night in 2017.
• Only 24% rate the quality of government services good or excellent, down from 44% in 2017.
• Still, over 50% of New Yorkers rates particular services as excellent or good, including fire protection, household garbage pickup, 311, and bus services.

"It's important to consider context — coming out of the pandemic, employment just recently returning to pre-COVID levels, and increasing affordability challenges — but what New Yorkers' responses crystalize the stark reality that they clearly rate the quality of life and quality of City services as not good," CBC President Andrew Rein said.

"Tremendous progress is needed in many areas, especially for certain populations and in certain neighborhoods. Fortunately, the city leadership's priorities generally align with New Yorkers', including safety, housing, and clean streets, parks, and public spaces."

The survey, conducted among 6,600 New Yorkers from September 2023 through December 2023, has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage points.

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