February 1, 2001 - Our City Is Safe, 79 Percent Of New Yorkers Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Blacks, Hispanics Still Concerned About Brutality Fifteen percent of New Yorkers say the city is a "very safe" place to live, while 64 percent say it is "somewhat safe," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. A total of 85 percent of white voters say the city is "very safe" or "somewhat safe," while 72 percent of black voters and 73 percent of Hispanic voters say the city is safe. In a June 19, 1997, poll by the independent Quinnipiac University, a total of 66 percent of New Yorkers said the city was "very safe" or "somewhat safe." Closer to home, 76 percent of New Yorkers feel "very safe" walking in their neighborhood during the day, while 20 percent feel "somewhat safe." At night, 36 percent feel "very safe" walking in their neighborhood, while 40 percent feel "somewhat safe." Turning to the subway, a total of 76 percent feel safe using the subway during the day, while 10 percent feel unsafe and 14 percent say they don't use the subway. A total of 52 percent feel safe on the subway in the evening, while 30 percent feel unsafe and 17 percent say they don't use the subway. "New Yorkers still worry that crime might hit them personally, but they consider the city in general -- and their neighborhood in particular -- as safe," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "They even feel safe on the subway." Personally, 53 percent of New Yorkers say they worry about being the victim of a crime, down from 66 percent in a June, 1994, Quinnipiac University poll. By a 50 - 37 percent margin, voters approve of the job police are doing citywide, while voters approve 68 - 22 percent of the job police in their community are doing. Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik gets a 45 - 16 percent approval, with 40 percent undecided about the new commissioner. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gets a 66 - 27 percent approval rating for handling crime. Looking at police city-wide, 60 percent of New Yorkers say police are tougher on blacks, while 29 percent say police treat everyone the same. Looking at cops in their own community, 41 percent say police are tougher on blacks while 44 percent say police treat everyone the same. Crime is a "very serious problem," according to 36 percent of New York City voters, while 52 percent say it is "somewhat serious." A slightly larger percentage -- 39 percent -- say police brutality is a "very serious problem," while 40 percent say it is "somewhat serious;" 21 percent of white voters, 64 percent of black voters and 52 percent of Hispanic voters say police brutality is "very serious." "Police brass who are talking about winning back the hearts and minds of the people they serve are on the right track. Overall, New Yorkers approve of their cops, especially the cops in their neighborhood, but that 50 percent city-wide approval is down 11 points from a February 21, 1996, poll by the independent Quinnipiac University," Carroll said. "And black and Hispanic voters rank police brutality as a bigger problem than crime." From January 23 - 29, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,007 New York City registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a public service and for research. For additional data -- www.quinnipiac.edu or call (203) 582-5201 13. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mayor Giuliani is handling crime? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Approve 66% 77% 49% 64% 70% 64% Disapprove 27 18 43 27 24 28 DK/NA 7 6 8 9 6 8 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bernard Kerik is handling his job as Police Commissioner? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Approve 45% 49% 39% 43% 50% 41% Disapprove 16 8 26 24 14 17 DK/NA 40 43 35 33 36 42 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the New York City police are doing their job? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Approve 50% 64% 31% 39% 54% 47% Disapprove 37 21 59 46 34 39 DK/NA 14 15 10 15 12 15 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the police in your community are doing their job? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Approve 68% 80% 54% 56% 69% 68% Disapprove 22 10 35 34 24 21 DK/NA 10 10 10 10 7 11 17. In general, how serious a problem do you think crime is in New York City? A very serious problem, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not a problem at all? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very serious problem 36% 25% 49% 47% 27% 42% Smwht serious 52 60 43 42 54 49 Not very serious 11 14 6 8 15 7 Not a problem at all 1 1 2 2 3 1 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 18. Is being the victim of a crime something you personally worry about or not? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Yes/Worry 53% 44% 62% 60% 40% 62% No/Don't worry 47 55 37 39 59 37 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 19. Do you think New York City is a very safe place to live, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 15% 18% 10% 15% 19% 12% Smwht safe 64 67 62 58 65 63 Smwht unsafe 16 12 21 19 14 18 Very unsafe 4 2 6 7 2 5 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 20. Compared to 5 years ago, do you feel that New York City has become a safer place to live, a less safe place to live, or stayed about the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Safer 60% 69% 49% 50% 66% 56% Less safe 8 4 14 12 3 11 About the same 30 26 34 35 29 30 DK/NA 2 2 3 3 1 3 21. Do you think your neighborhood is a very safe place to live, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 41% 51% 26% 37% 48% 36% Smwht safe 46 43 54 39 44 47 Smwht unsafe 9 5 12 15 6 11 Very unsafe 4 1 7 9 2 5 DK/NA - - 1 - - 1 22. Compared to 5 years ago, do you feel that your neighborhood has become a safer place to live, a less safe place to live, or stayed about the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Safer 33% 32% 32% 33% 39% 29% Less safe 12 8 17 14 7 15 About the same 49 53 46 43 49 48 DK/NA 7 7 5 9 5 8 23. How safe do you feel walking around your neighborhood in the daytime? Very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 76% 87% 61% 70% 82% 72% Smwht safe 20 12 32 21 16 22 Smwht unsafe 3 1 5 6 1 4 Very unsafe 1 - - 2 1 1 DK/NA - - 1 1 - 1 24. How safe do you feel walking around your neighborhood in the evening? Very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 36% 40% 31% 36% 49% 27% Smwht safe 40 43 38 35 38 42 Smwht unsafe 14 9 19 16 10 17 Very unsafe 7 4 10 11 3 10 DK/NA 3 4 3 2 1 4 25. How safe do you feel using the subway during the daytime - Very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 44% 49% 35% 42% 55% 36% Smwht safe 32 27 36 34 30 32 Smwht unsafe 6 4 10 8 3 9 Very unsafe 4 3 6 6 1 6 DON'T USE SUBWAY(VOL) 14 16 13 9 9 17 DK/NA 1 - 2 1 1 0 26. How safe do you feel using the subway during the evening - Very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very safe 17% 17% 14% 16% 25% 11% Smwht safe 35 36 37 33 39 32 Smwht unsafe 19 17 19 20 19 19 Very unsafe 11 9 13 18 4 17 DON'T USE SUBWAY(VOL) 17 20 16 12 13 20 DK/NA 1 1 - 2 1 1 27. Do you think the police in New York City are generally tougher on whites than on blacks, or tougher on blacks than on whites, or do the police treat them both the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Tougher on whites 1% 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% Tougher on blacks 60 52 79 59 58 62 Treat them the same 29 36 16 30 34 26 DK/NA 10 12 4 10 8 12 28. Do you think the police in your community are generally tougher on whites than on blacks, or tougher on blacks than on whites, or do the police treat them both the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Tougher on whites 0% 0% - 1% 1% 0% Tougher on blacks 41 30 62 46 40 42 Treat them the same 44 53 25 45 48 41 DK/NA 15 17 13 9 11 17 29. How serious a problem do you think police brutality is in New York City? A very serious problem, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not a problem at all? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very serious problem 39% 21% 64% 52% 36% 41% Smwht serious 40 48 27 35 37 41 Not very serious 14 21 6 10 19 11 Not a problem at all 5 7 2 2 6 4 DK/NA 2 3 1 2 2 3 30. Is being the victim of police brutality something you personally worry about or not? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Yes/Worry 29% 12% 50% 42% 30% 29% No/Don't worry 70 88 49 57 69 71 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 31. When faced with a possible criminal situation, do you think police in New York City generally use excessive force against minority suspects, or generally use the appropriate amount of force? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Excessive force 46% 28% 71% 60% 40% 51% Appropriate force 41 56 18 37 50 35 DK/NA 12 17 11 4 10 14 32. When faced with a possible criminal situation, do you think police in your own community generally use excessive force against minority suspects, or generally use the appropriate amount of force? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Excessive force 27% 15% 47% 36% 24% 30% Appropriate force 56 67 39 51 62 52 DK/NA 17 18 14 14 14 19
