One year into the pandemic, public opinion polling showed a majority of residents were optimistic about the region’s recovery although disparities existed across racial and gender lines.
Key findings
People are less optimistic about pandemic recovery now as compared to 6 months ago. There is increased uncertainty on whether the worst is over - or the worst is yet to come (47% worst is over/23% worst is yet to come/30% don’t know, from 50% worst is over/25% worst is yet to come/25% don’t know in March).
Wide disparities in outlook continue to exist by gender, income, and race. Relative to their white counterparts, who are much more likely to be satisfied on our Outlook Index Score (57.4% satisfied), Black (48.9%), and Latinx (53.9%) residents are less satisfied overall. Low-income residents are less satisfied (49.6%) than residents with household incomes over $100,000 (65.9%), and women are 10 points less satisfied (50.0%) than men (60.5%)
Crime now tops the list of issues that residents want leaders to focus on, followed by jobs and the economy. In March, jobs and the economy took the top spot. An increased share now say their community feels less safe than it did prior to the pandemic (37% less safe/17% more safe/46% about the same, from 28% less safe/19% more safe/53% about the same in March).
The most recent poll shows the high cost of living remains a top issue for metro area residents, with 52% of residents saying they are dissatisfied with the availability of affordable housing. Respondents cite more affordable housing as the top way to address inequality in our region.
Respondents are strongly supportive of proposals that could help address the affordable housing crisis including allowing single-family homes to be turned into two-families (66% support, 19% oppose), legalizing so-called accessory dwelling units (57% support 28% oppose), and improving public housing.
A clear majority of residents support a green energy future for the region. The majority of residents are concerned about flooding and extreme weather (69% support/28% not concerned) and continue to support a variety of proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
There is strong support for vaccine mandates. This includes support for mandates for health care workers (81% support), public school teachers and staff (78% support), firefighters (78% support), public transit workers (77% support), service industry workers (77% support), police officers (77% support), and military personnel (78% support).
The share of respondents who say they are satisfied with the direction the NYC area is headed has declined 9% since March.
Residents continue to see the high cost of living and crime as the biggest threats to the region. While 46% of participants say their local community feels just as safe as it did before the pandemic, this is a contrast from 53% in March. In addition, 37% of respondents say their community now feels less safe, compared to 28% in March. When it comes to housing and homelessness, residents continue to feel they are important issues for future city and state leaders to focus on, with 96% of residents saying it is critical, down slightly from 98% in March.
53% of residents (59% in NYC, 49% outside of NYC) now say they would move out of their neighborhood if they could, compared to 52% in March 2021, and 36% in 2013. People throughout the region cite the high cost of housing as the number one reason for wanting to move.
In the wake of Hurricane Ida which claimed more than a dozen lives, 77% of participants said flooding and extreme weather is more common, with 68% of participants expressing high concern about extreme flooding in our region, while only 28% saying they are not concerned. 69% of respondents support local government spending more on resilience projects, with only 18% in opposition.
When it comes to attitudes about the economy, residents expressed confidence that progress is being made. 75% of residents responded they felt jobs and the economy were both important issues for future city and state leaders to focus on, compared to 83% back in March when it was more of a concern. In addition, 45% of participants now rate the state of the economy in their state as positive, as opposed to 38% this past March. When asked about the state of the economy in their communities, 62% of residents expressed confidence as opposed to 48% from this past March.
When it comes to public transportation, health concerns and a preference for driving are the top barriers to riding transit more frequently. Respondents cite reliable and frequent service as the most popular way to get people back onto transit, followed by low cost fares.
When asked about specific regional transportation projects, awareness is among the highest for the Penn Station reconstruction, the Gateway Program, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal reconstruction. Of those residents that have heard about each project, support is very high – 86% for Penn Station, 83% for Gateway Program and 87% for Port Authority Bus Terminal.
“The last several months have been among the most challenging in the region’s history. These poll results demonstrate continued challenges with quality of life and outlook,” said Tom Wright, President of Regional Plan Association.
While there is optimism about our region’s potential, it is clear we need to move forward with future proofing projects like Gateway, Penn Station, and creating more affordable housing.”
“The light at the end of the tunnel reflected in our March data has unfortunately not gotten much brighter or closer,” said Justin Lapatine, Partner, Global Strategy Group. “While people are feeling more optimistic about the state of the economy, uncertainty about the pandemic and our future are weighing on metro residents.”
Produced With
- Global Strategy Group
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