June 15, 2000 - My City And Neighborhood Are Safe, Most New Yorkers Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; But Most Still Fear Being A Victim Of A Crime New York City voters feel more than 2 - 1 that their city is safe, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today; 9 percent say the city is very safe and 62 percent say it is somewhat safe, while 20 percent say it is somewhat unsafe and 5 percent call it very unsafe. Looking at their own neighborhoods, New Yorkers feel even better, with 33 percent saying their community is very safe and 53 percent saying it is somewhat safe, while 11 percent say their neighborhood is somewhat unsafe and 2 percent say it is very unsafe. But 55 percent of New York City voters say they personally worry about being the victim of a crime, while 44 percent say they do not worry. White voters are divided 50 - 50 on the question of personal safety, while 62 percent of black voters and 62 percent of Hispanic voters are personally worried. "Looking at the big picture, New Yorkers feel their city and their neighborhood are safe. But they're not about to start leaving the doors unlocked," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "And since officials tell us that most urban crime victims are members of minority communities, we can see why concerns about safety are greater among black and Hispanic voters." A total of 66 percent of New York City voters are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with life in the City, while 32 percent are "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied." Looking at the quality of life in New York, 13 percent call it "very good," while 41 percent call it "good;" 36 percent call it "fair;" 6 percent call it "poor" and 2 percent call it "very poor." And 24 percent of voters expect things will get better in New York City, while 13 percent expect them to get worse and 56 percent expect them to stay the same. Only 37 percent of voters say race relations in New York City are "generally good," while 55 percent say they are "generally bad." "Despite the overall good feeling about life in the City, more than half of New Yorkers still aren't satisfied with the state of race relations," Carroll said. From June 6 - 12, Quinnipiac University surveyed 815 New York City registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 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 2. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in New York City today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very satisfied 20% 30% 3% 6% 27% 15% Smwht satisfied 46 49 39 49 44 47 Smwht dissatisfied 22 15 32 34 18 25 Very dissatisfied 10 4 25 9 9 11 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 2 2 3.Over the next year or so, do you think things will go better for New York City, go worse, or stay about the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Better 24% 21% 27% 28% 26% 23% Worse 13 11 14 13 15 11 Stay the same 56 60 54 56 54 58 DK/NA 7 8 5 3 5 9 9. Is your opinion of New York City Schools Chancellor Harold Levy favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Have kids Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom pub sch Favorable 31% 36% 23% 20% 30% 31% 20% Unfavorable 5 4 7 8 5 5 9 Mixed 15 13 18 16 15 14 18 Hvn't hrd enough 48 45 50 54 48 47 51 REFUSED 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 10. Is your opinion of Police Commisioner Howard Safir favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Favorable 33% 44% 9% 30% 35% 32% Unfavorable 36 26 64 33 36 36 Mixed 23 24 20 28 23 23 Hvn't hrd enough 7 6 8 9 6 8 REFUSED 1 1 - - - 1 11. How would you rate the quality of life in New York City? Very good, good, fair, poor, or very poor? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Very good 13% 18% 4% 7% 15% 11% Good 41 50 28 28 41 41 Fair 36 28 47 50 35 38 Poor 6 2 15 10 5 7 Very poor 2 1 5 2 3 2 DK/NA 1 2 1 2 2 1 17. Do you think race relations in New York City today are generally good or generally bad? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Good 37% 41% 27% 35% 39% 35% Bad 55 50 65 60 52 57 DK/NA 9 9 8 5 10 8 18. Do you think race relations in New York City are getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Getting better 18% 21% 11% 18% 22% 15% Getting worse 28 24 36 28 26 29 Staying the same 53 54 52 53 51 54 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 2 19. Are you generally satisfied with the quality of the public schools in New York City, or are you not satisfied? Have kids Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom pub sch Yes/Satisfied 15% 16% 6% 23% 18% 13% 21% No/Not satisfied 70 64 85 71 68 7 75 DK/NA 15 21 8 6 15 15 5 20. Are you generally satisfied with the quality of the public schools in your neighborhood, or are you not satisfied? Have kids Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom pub sch Yes/Satisfied 35% 41% 17% 37% 37% 34% 33% No/Not satisfied 45 32 70 54 44 46 62 DK/NA 20 27 13 8 19 21 5 21. Is being the victim of a crime something you personally worry about or not? Tot Wht Blk Hisp Men Wom Yes/Worry 55% 50% 62% 62% 45% 63% No/Do not worry 44 50 37 38 55 37 DK/NA - - 1 - - - 22. 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 9% 12% 5% 6% 13% 6% Smwht safe 62 67 51 57 65 60 Smwht unsafe 20 16 31 25 16 24 Very unsafe 5 2 9 12 3 7 DK/NA 3 3 3 - 3 3 23. 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 33% 44% 16% 20% 39% 29% Smwht safe 53 49 58 52 51 54 Smwht unsafe 11 6 20 20 8 14 Very unsafe 2 - 5 9 1 3 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 1
