February 13 , 2006
by Dylan Skriloff
(this article borrows text from an article found at www.bcnys.org)
More than two in five New Yorkers have considered moving out of the state in the past year, according to a new poll released by the Manhattan Institute's Empire Center. "On a regional basis, the number of voters who had personally considered moving ranged from a low of 39 percent in New York City to 44 percent in western upstate New York," the Empire Center's analysis of the data said. The overall average was 41%.
The survey found voters to have a negative outlook on the state's future. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said they expect New York to be the same state it is now, or worse in the next five years.
The Empire Center found pessimism strongest among upstate respondents, especially those in western New York.
"Thirty-five percent of the western New York residents surveyed said that they expected the state to be a 'worse' place in five years, well over double the 14 percent who expected it to be better," the report said. "New Yorkers are restless, unhappy and ready for change," said E.J. McMahon, director of the Empire Center. "The survey shows that voters across the state want more accountable and transparent government, and that they are willing to support candidates who will fight to rein in spending and taxes."
Some of the issues most New Yorkers agree are major problems are taxes, Medicaid fraud, non-partisan redistricting, excessive spending and education. The poll, conducted by Siena College Research Institute, surveyed 620 registered voters from across the state. "From one end of the state to the other, most voters of every party affiliation (or no affiliation) would be open to a public-policy agenda that encourages more direct democracy, more competitive elections, limits on politicians' tenure in office, and fiscally conservative approaches to reining in governmental excesses," the Empire Center said.
