Most NY voters say crippling migrant influx a ‘serious’ problem as city is overwhelmed: poll
The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers believe the ongoing migrant crisis is a serious concern — and more than half fear the Empire State is heading in the “wrong direction,” according to a poll released Thursday.
The sobering statewide survey, conducted by Siena College, found that 83% of registered voters said they believed the influx of migrants was a “serious” issue for the state.
Of those surveyed, 57% deemed the crisis — which has seen more than 203,900 migrants come through New York City since spring 2022 — “very serious,” while 26% said it was “somewhat serious.”
Split by political party, 77% of Democrats answered that the problem was “serious,” while 95% of Republicans who participated agreed that it was a tremendous issue.
The poll comes as the stream of new arrivals has overwhelmed Big Apple shelters, with over 119,700 people in city care, including over 65,300 migrants, as of June 16, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
Just 2,000 of the 27,000 migrants who are of working age have been connected with a job under the Adams administration’s ongoing push, officials said during a City Council meeting last week.
The administration says it has been forking up over $387 per day to put up a single migrant household in taxpayer-funded shelters, and City Hall has claimed the costs to combat the migrant crisis could hit $10 billion through the next fiscal year.
The poll — which included a pool of 800 registered voters and was conducted on June 12-13 and 16-17 — was released just days after an Ecuadorian migrant’s arrest who allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in a Queens park in a horrific broad-daylight attack last week.
On the subject of crime, 49% of respondents said the problem has gotten worse across the state over the last year, while only 17% believed it had improved and 31% said it had stayed the same, with 2% who said they didn’t know or refused to answer.
Within that, 34% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans surveyed said they were concerned about heightened crime.
Asked if they believe the Empire State is on the “right track” or “headed in the wrong direction,” only 37% answered the former, while 52% said the latter and 11% didn’t know or had no opinion.
A little over half, 51%, said they did not believe the state Legislature had succeeded in “passing laws that improve the quality of life in New York” during the 2024 legislative session.
The poll carries a margin of error of 4.1%.
