New York, NY – As we enter our post-COVID-19 recovery, a majority of the metro region’s residents are feeling optimistic that the worst of the pandemic is behind them and are looking toward a brighter future, according to new poll results released today by Regional Plan Association (RPA) and conducted by Global Strategy Group (GSG).

It is clear, however, that this optimism is not shared equally. Based on interviews with 800 adults in the New York metropolitan region, RPA and GSG found stark differences in attitudes according to race, gender and income. Just as people of color bore the brunt of the COVID crisis, the poll also found they expressed the lowest levels of satisfaction with quality of life, along with women and low-income residents. The poll also showed this was significantly less than men, white residents and people making over $100k a year.

The report features the debut of the RPA-GSG Metro NY Outlook Index at 57 (out of 100) – a score that averages attitudes among participants across eight core aspects of life to present one holistic metric for how residents are feeling one year after the pandemic first struck the region. These factors include having equal opportunity, the safety of local communities, the quality of public education, the quality of public transportation, the ability to find a satisfactory good-paying job, the direction the New York City area is headed in, the overall quality of life, and the ability to find satisfactory affordable housing.

Additional key findings from the poll can be found in the detailed polling memo by GSG here.

“Despite the challenges of the past year, this poll demonstrates the resiliency of residents in our region,” said Tom Wright, President of Regional Plan Association. ​“While we’re optimistic about the region’s future, the discrepancies among different groups is a crucial reminder that the pandemic affected people differently.”

“Our recovery must be centered on an equitable vision that prioritizes the needs of those who were hit the hardest,” said Kate Slevin, RPA’s Senior Vice President of State Programs & Advocacy. ​“Our best days may still lie ahead, but we have a lot of work to do to make sure that everyone in our metropolitan area-- regardless of race, gender or income -- can thrive.”

“The Index is a first-of-its-kind tool to be able to measure attitudes toward the overall health and well-being of the region. While there’s good reason for optimism in the data, it also exposes many areas where racial and gender disparities exist and need to be addressed if the region is going to fully recover and emerge stronger, ” said Justin Lapatine, Partner at Global Strategy Group.

Important takeaways from the poll data include:

• The high cost of living, crime, and high taxes are perceived as the biggest threats to the metropolitan area. Discrepancies among demographics are also prevalent in this area. Black and women respondents were more likely to select housing unaffordability and high cost of living as the biggest threats. Latinx respondents were more likely to cite crime, and white respondents were more likely to select high taxes.
• Jobs and the economy are top issues New York metro residents want their leaders to focus on. This was particularly a priority for Black and low-income residents.
• The majority of New Yorkers believe the worst of the pandemic is over. Only a quarter say the worst is yet to come, but Latinx residents and parents are more likely to have a more pessimistic outlook.
• Most respondents believe quality of life will improve in the years to come. More than half of New Yorkers, however, say they would move out of their community if they could (52% would move/48% would stay), a noticeable increase since RPA surveyed residents in 2013 (36% would move/62% would stay).
• A vast majority agree life has been difficult during the pandemic, and many were personally affected. While three in four New Yorkers agree that life has been difficult since the coronavirus pandemic began (75% difficult/25% not difficult), Black residents (82% difficult/15% not difficult), Asian-American residents (77% difficult/21% not difficult) and residents making less than $50,000 (82%difficult/15% not difficult) are the most likely to say life has been difficult.
• In addition to health, social isolation, lack of jobs, home payments, and food were other challenges residents faced during the pandemic. While white residents (62%) are more likely than adults overall to say that social isolation is their largest source of stress, Black residents are more likely to point to rent or home payments (48%) and access to food (20%) as their largest sources of stress, and Latinx residents point to lack of a job/job security (37%) and rent or home payments (39%). White residents are more likely to point to social isolation (51%). New York City residents (30%) are more likely than residents outside of New York City (22%) to say rent or home payments are the largest source of stress.

This is the first in a series of polls by GSG and RPA focused on quality of life in the New York metropolitan area, and the major issues facing New York Metro residents. Subsequent releases will track the Metro NY Outlook Index and focus on other specific policy areas: including housing, transportation and climate change. GSG and RPA last partered on a poll in 2013.

About Regional Plan Association and Global Strategy Group

Regional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent non-profit organization that conducts research, planning and advocacy to expand economic opportunity, environmental resiliency, improved health, and better quality of life in the New York metropolitan area. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region. The most recent was released in November 2017. For more information, please visit www.rpa.org.

Global Strategy Group is the go-to public affairs, communications, and research partner for companies, causes, and campaigns. We work with our clients to build their reputations, tackle big challenges, and win. We have an extensive footprint working across New York to change minds and influence public policy. We conduct research and execute campaigns that shape the environment around key issues.