Cost of living, migrants are top issues for New Yorkers, Gov. Kathy Hochul's approval rating down, Siena poll says

ALBANY — The high cost of living and the influx of migrants are among the most vexing issues for New Yorkers, according to a poll released Tuesday, which also found support for Gov. Kathy Hochul slipping as she tries to address those issues.

The Siena College Research Institute poll found the top issue that voters want the Democratic governor and Democratic-led State Legislature to address is the cost of living, which was cited by 49% of respondents. Next, at 39%, came the influx of migrants, including those seeking asylum from violence and oppression.

The poll found 39% of voters then named crime a top issue, and 29% said the governor and legislature also need to increase affordable housing, which has been a top priority for Hochul.

Among suburban voters, including Long Islanders, the top issue at 38% also was the cost of living, followed by the migrant crisis at 26%, crime at 11% and affordable housing at 10%.

The poll questioned 806 registered Democratic, Republican and independent voters from Feb. 12 to 14. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

Tuesday’s poll also found 41% of voters viewed Hochul favorably, while 46% viewed her unfavorably. That’s down from last month’s poll when 45% of voters viewed her favorably compared with 42% who viewed her unfavorably.

The poll also found 48% of voters approved of her job performance, while 47% didn’t. That job approval rating fell since January, when 52% of voters approved of her job performance compared with 43% who didn’t.

“After recording her best favorability and job approval ratings in nearly a year last month, Hochul saw both fall by a net eight points this month, with her favorability rating slipping back into negative territory, where it spent most of 2023,” said Steven Greenberg, of the Siena poll.

Turning to this year’s presidential race, the poll found Democratic President Joe Biden leads former President Donald Trump 48% to 36%. However, 41% of voters polled said they want the next president to be someone other than Biden or Trump.

Only 7% believe both Biden and Trump are physically and mentally fit to serve a four-year term, while 32% think neither is fit. Breaking that down, the poll found 36% of Democrats said neither candidate was fit for a four-year term, followed by 35% of voters not enrolled in a major party and 20% of Republicans.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.