crime

74% of NYC Voters Say Crime Is a Serious Problem in the City, an All-Time High

74% of NYC voters now say crime is a "very serious" problem in the city -- in more than two decades of polling, that number had never topped 50%

NBC Universal, Inc.

Nearly three-quarters of New York City voters consider crime in the city a "very serious" problem, according to a new Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday -- the highest percentage in polling dating to the late 1990s.

And it's not just a record, pollsters said -- at 74%, it's fully 24 points higher than the previous high.

Some 43% of NYC voters said they consider the city less safe than other big cities, also an all-time record for the poll and nearly triple the old record. About 65% said they personally worry about becoming the victim of a crime, the highest since the question was first asked in the spring of 1999.

"In the wake of two NYPD officers being shot and killed on duty among multiple high profile violent crimes, the mandate and urgency in New York City is clear: reducing crime is the number one issue in New York City," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Mary Snow said in a summary of the results.

But voters seem to be giving new mayor Eric Adams a pass so far on the surge in violence; 49% approve of his handling of crime, while 35% disapprove. Another 58% said they were very or somewhat confident that Adams could reduce gun violence in the streets.

The poll of 1,343 New York City registered voters was conducted Feb. 3-7, and had a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.

Copyright NBC New York
Contact Us