Two-thirds of state voters believe New York’s cost of living is out of control, a new survey released Tuesday found.
The Siena College poll asked voters if the Empire State’s cost of living was on the right track or heading in the wrong direction.
The result: only 27% of the 806 respondents said the cost of living in New York is on the right track, while 67% said it’s going in the wrong direction.
The dire results cut across partisan and ideological lines: 59% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, and 71% of independent or non-party-affiliated voters said costs in New York are too high.
Meanwhile, in a related question, only 31% of voters said New York was creating enough affordable housing, while 57% said the effort is going in the wrong direction.
Nearly 70% of Republicans, two-thirds of independents and a plurality of Democrats agree housing costs are too damn high.
A majority of New Yorkers — 53% — said reducing crime is headed in the wrong direction, while 38% said crime fighting is on the right track.
Voters were more split on whether New York was providing a quality education, safeguarding the environment, improving the state’s transportation infrastructure and providing access to quality health care. Democrats were more positive than Republicans and independents on these issues.
“A majority of Democrats think the state is on the right track on five issues, but even Democrats agree with Republicans and independents that the state is headed in the wrong direction on housing and cost of living,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Despite voters’ views that New York is failing to address the fundamental issues of the high cost of living and housing, according to the poll, Kathy Hochul is still in the driver’s seat for her re-election bid to win a second, four-year term this fall.
Hochul leads Republican nominee Bruce Blakeman, the current Nassau County executive, 49% to 33%, with the remainder undecided or preferring someone else.
Blakeman’s big challenge: nearly two-thirds of voters — 64% — said they don’t know or are unfamiliar with him.
One eye-opener: only 43% of voters said they would re-elect state Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, while 41% of respondents prefer someone else.
Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor and chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Agency, is James’s Republican challenger.
Democratic state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, in office since 2007, is seeking a fifth term.
But only 28% of voters said they would re-elect DiNapoli, 29% preferred someone else, and 43% had no opinion.
DiNapoli faces his first serious Democratic primary since his initial election, challenged by former affordable housing nonprofit executive Drew Warshaw and tech executive and former Kansas legislator Raj Goyle.
Businessman Joseph Hernandez is the Republican nominee for comptroller.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still viewed favorably – but barely – by a plurality of voters statewide, 43% favorable to 40% unfavorable.
Locally, 56% of city voters view him favorably compared to 34% who don’t.
That’s a higher popularity than Hochul, who is viewed favorably by just 46% of Big Apple voters while 37% rated her unfavorably.
New York Sen Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, remains unpopular. Only 33% of voters have a favorable view of Schumer, while 52% had an unfavorable view of the veteran senator.
The Siena University Poll surveyed 806 state-registered voters from April 27 to 30. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.
