A poll released on Tuesday showed that 75% of New Yorkers fear they will become the victim of a violent crime.
Roughly 76% of the city’s residents are “very concerned” or somewhat concerned that they will become the target of violent crime. The opinions of the city’s residents come amid the Big Apple’s surging crime wave.
According to the Spectrum News NY1/Siena College poll, the folks who live in the nation’s largest city are left feeling anxious and concerned about their safety.
Just 24% of respondents expressed little or no concern amid the city’s soaring crime rates.
Participants were asked, “How concerned are you that a shooting in which a gunman targets people based on their race, religion, or ethnicity will happen in your neighborhood.” A large group, 43%, said they are very concerned about such an event.
An overwhelming majority, 70%, of residents said they feel less safe now than before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 3% said they feel safer now.
The latest NYPD data showed gun violence had dropped by nearly a third in May compared to the same time last year. However, the city’s reported shootings were still nearly double pre-pandemic levels.
About 45% of the 1,000 New York residents who were polled said Mayor Eric Adams was doing an inadequate job of fighting crime in the Big Apple.
29% of those polled rated Adams’ performance as mayor as good or excellent, while 64% said he is not doing well.
According to the poll, Adam’s “poor” rating is even higher among Hispanics (55%) and Asians (49%).
Subway violence, including April’s mass shooting, left 85% of respondents saying they would support having more cops in the subways. More than 60% said they favored installing metal detectors in subway stations.
According to the poll, Governor Kathy Hochul‘s approval figures were slightly higher, with 35% of city residents saying Hochul is doing a good job.
More than 45% said they believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, expressing concerns over the leadership and governance.