Large majority of New Yorkers are happy to live in the state, poll shows
A get-together on the Stony Brook Village Green last week. Long Islanders indicated in a poll that many are happy to live here, but there was also a trend of "out-migration," where some residents were opting to leave due to affordability and other factors. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
A large majority of New Yorkers said they were happy to live in the state and a somewhat smaller majority said they planned to retire here, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll released this week.
Yet 30% said they wished they lived someplace else and about the same percentage said they would live somewhere else when they retire, the poll showed.
The poll of 795 New Yorkers also found New York City residents voiced more satisfaction with living in New York compared to suburbanites, including those on Long Island, or those living upstate. Republicans, independents, Blacks and those earning less than $50,000 expressed more dissatisfaction with living in the state.
According to the survey, 70% of New York respondents said they were "happy to live in New York," which broke out to 77% of New York City respondents, 70% of suburban respondents and 60% of upstate respondents.
However, Don Levy, director of the research institute, said in an interview that "the concern about out-migration is striking in this survey. It's striking overall, but Long Islanders stand out a little bit more." Among Long Island respondents, Levy said 64% said they were happy to live in New York, while 33% wished they lived elsewhere. "Perhaps even more disturbing," Levy said of Long Island respondents, "35% say they think they will leave New York in the next five years."
"Essentially it seems as though Long Islanders are even more affected by affordability than New Yorkers in general," Levy said. He said 67% of New Yorkers overall rated the state as "only fair or poor" on affordability, compared with 79% of Long Island respondents.
But Levy noted a large caveat on interpreting the Long Island-specific polling data. "It’s a very small sample of people. It has a large margin of error. You have to take it almost as anecdotal information as opposed to a full survey," Levy said of the Long Island statistics he had separated out at Newsday's request. He said the Long Island respondents comprised only about 10% of the survey's respondents.
One resident interviewed, Cindy Clifford of Riverhead, said the different landscapes on Long Island are a draw for her, as well as the sense of community.
“I can be at the sound, the bay, the river in under 10 minutes, in farm country in five and shopping in under three,” she said. “And equally, it’s the community — so many great people, many of whom became great friends.”
The poll itself grouped Long Island into the "suburbs" category, which included Rockland, Orange and Putnam counties. The poll, which was conducted by telephone and online March 6-9, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said what "caught my eye" in the poll "was the number of people who said they left [New York] and then came back." When asked whether they had moved away and returned to New York, 21% of respondents overall said they had, with 19% of New York City respondents saying they had done so, along with 14% from the suburbs and 28% from upstate. And 78% of New Yorkers had lived in the state 20 years or more. Among suburban respondents, it was even higher: 86%.
"Those numbers show New Yorkers put down roots and stay," said Lawrence Levy. That runs "counter to the narrative that everybody can't wait to get out of Dodge."
Cutchogue resident Debra Scurracchio said she stays on Long Island, despite the high taxes. “Even though it’s high taxes, etc. I stay because my family is here.”
Sabrina Rafi, 37, a mother of two who lives in East Meadow, said: “We have some of the most excellent schools that are equally as diverse as New York City. That is a really important factor for me at least, because I want my kids to have friends that look like them.”
With Brianne Ledda and Brinley Hineman
A large majority of New Yorkers said they were happy to live in the state and a somewhat smaller majority said they planned to retire here, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll released this week.
Yet 30% said they wished they lived someplace else and about the same percentage said they would live somewhere else when they retire, the poll showed.
The poll of 795 New Yorkers also found New York City residents voiced more satisfaction with living in New York compared to suburbanites, including those on Long Island, or those living upstate. Republicans, independents, Blacks and those earning less than $50,000 expressed more dissatisfaction with living in the state.
According to the survey, 70% of New York respondents said they were "happy to live in New York," which broke out to 77% of New York City respondents, 70% of suburban respondents and 60% of upstate respondents.
WHAT TO KNOW
- A large majority of New Yorkers said they were happy to live in the state and a somewhat smaller majority said they planned to retire here, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll released this week.
- But 30% said they wished they lived someplace else and about the same percentage said they would live somewhere else when they retire, the poll showed.
- Out-migration of New Yorkers is still a "concern," said Siena's director, Don Levy, and especially on Long Island.
However, Don Levy, director of the research institute, said in an interview that "the concern about out-migration is striking in this survey. It's striking overall, but Long Islanders stand out a little bit more." Among Long Island respondents, Levy said 64% said they were happy to live in New York, while 33% wished they lived elsewhere. "Perhaps even more disturbing," Levy said of Long Island respondents, "35% say they think they will leave New York in the next five years."
"Essentially it seems as though Long Islanders are even more affected by affordability than New Yorkers in general," Levy said. He said 67% of New Yorkers overall rated the state as "only fair or poor" on affordability, compared with 79% of Long Island respondents.
But Levy noted a large caveat on interpreting the Long Island-specific polling data. "It’s a very small sample of people. It has a large margin of error. You have to take it almost as anecdotal information as opposed to a full survey," Levy said of the Long Island statistics he had separated out at Newsday's request. He said the Long Island respondents comprised only about 10% of the survey's respondents.
One resident interviewed, Cindy Clifford of Riverhead, said the different landscapes on Long Island are a draw for her, as well as the sense of community.
“I can be at the sound, the bay, the river in under 10 minutes, in farm country in five and shopping in under three,” she said. “And equally, it’s the community — so many great people, many of whom became great friends.”
The poll itself grouped Long Island into the "suburbs" category, which included Rockland, Orange and Putnam counties. The poll, which was conducted by telephone and online March 6-9, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said what "caught my eye" in the poll "was the number of people who said they left [New York] and then came back." When asked whether they had moved away and returned to New York, 21% of respondents overall said they had, with 19% of New York City respondents saying they had done so, along with 14% from the suburbs and 28% from upstate. And 78% of New Yorkers had lived in the state 20 years or more. Among suburban respondents, it was even higher: 86%.
"Those numbers show New Yorkers put down roots and stay," said Lawrence Levy. That runs "counter to the narrative that everybody can't wait to get out of Dodge."
Cutchogue resident Debra Scurracchio said she stays on Long Island, despite the high taxes. “Even though it’s high taxes, etc. I stay because my family is here.”
Sabrina Rafi, 37, a mother of two who lives in East Meadow, said: “We have some of the most excellent schools that are equally as diverse as New York City. That is a really important factor for me at least, because I want my kids to have friends that look like them.”
With Brianne Ledda and Brinley Hineman
'We have to figure out what happened to these people' More than 100 women have been found dead outside on Long Island since 1976. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn and Newsday investigative reporter Sandra Peddie have this exclusive story.
'We have to figure out what happened to these people' More than 100 women have been found dead outside on Long Island since 1976. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn and Newsday investigative reporter Sandra Peddie have this exclusive story.
