A new survey released this week revealed that less than one-third of New York City’s population is satisfied with the quality of life in the five boroughs.

The survey from the Citizens Budget Commission found that just 30% of the 6,600 households surveyed describe conditions as "excellent or good." The figure marks a sharp decline from the last time the survey was conducted in 2017, when results found that half of the residents surveyed were happy with the quality of life offered in the city.

What You Need To Know

  • A new survey from the Citizens Budget Commission found just 30% New Yorkers are happy with quality of life

  • That is a sharp decline from the last time this survey was taken back in 2017, when half of New Yorkers were happy with the quality of life

  • Just 37% think public safety in their neighborhood is “excellent or good,” down from 50% seven years ago

  • When asked, just half of respondents say they plan to stay in the city over the next five years, down from nearly 60% back in 2017

"It is not as good as it used to be," Sorya Soereitad said. "It is everywhere in the city, every borough. If I go to Queens, if I go to Brooklyn, it is very sad actually because the city is beautiful."

Manhattan led the survey with 40% saying they are satisfied with the quality of life. Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island followed. The Bronx ranked at the bottom of the list with just 21% of residents classifying the quality of life overall in the city as "good or excellent."

New Yorkers feel better, though, about their neighborhoods as a place to live, with roughly half of the residents saying they are happy to live there. But according to the report, household income creates some significant disparities; those making higher incomes are more likely to be satisfied with the quality of life.

"The majority is suffering. The majority are having poverty issues, food issues," Janet Clark said. "It's just not normal for everyone. Where it should be, the numbers should be much higher than that."

The survey also found that the majority of New Yorkers are concerned with safety, with all categories seeing a decline. Just 37% think public safety in their neighborhood is "excellent or good," down from 50% seven years ago.

Meanwhile, only half of New Yorkers say they feel safe riding the subway during the day, a stark difference from the more than 80% reported in 2017.

Satisfaction with city services is also down across categories, including public education and tax dollar spending. Mayor Eric Adams was asked about the survey at his weekly media briefing Tuesday.

"What I loved about the report is that it also pointed to how people say my priorities are in order," Adams said. "Public safety, space, getting rid of rats, all the things I talk about. New Yorkers are saying 'hey this guy understands what every day working-class people should be.'"

When asked, just half of respondents said they plan to stay in the city over the next five years, that metric also down from nearly 60% back in 2017.