Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association Of the City of New York Incorporated 125 Broad Street, NY, NY, 10004-2400
Patrick J. Lynch, President
For Immediate Release: Contact: November 28, 2016 Patrick Muncie, Tusk Strategies pmuncie@tuskstrategies.com 212-966-5161
New Poll Shows Significant Support for Women and Men of the NYPD, But Growing Concerns About Quality of Life and Direction of the City
Three-Quarters of Respondents Support NYPD; Nearly Half Believe City is On the Wrong Track; New Yorkers Cast Serious Doubt on Crime Stats
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York (NYC PBA) today announced the results of a new poll which focuses on key public safety issues facing New York City, including perceptions of crime and quality of life issues, and attitudes towards police officers. The survey – which was conducted by national polling firm McLaughlin & Associates and sampled 500 likely voters in New York City from November 14th to November 16th – shows considerable support for the New York Police Department (NYPD), but rising concerns about quality of life and the direction of the city. More than three-quarters of respondents have a favorable rating of the women and men who make up the NYPD – the majority of which are NYC PBA members – while the plurality of respondents say New York City is heading down the wrong track. Despite the support for New York City police officers, there is a strong perception that crime is not improving, and nearly half of the respondents expressed doubt in the legitimacy of statistics showing decreases in crime.
The full survey results are available at here (topline) and here (full crosstabs).
The survey results include:
• 48% of respondents say NYC is heading down the wrong track, compared to 37% who say the right direction. • The largest number of “wrong track” respondents (17%) said that crime and violence were the biggest problems facing NYC. • Among all respondents, the biggest problems facing NYC include affordable housing (18%), crime and violence (14%), homelessness (8%), local politicians (8%) and cost of living (8%). • The NYPD received strong ratings among respondents with 74% approving of the job the NYPD is doing. The men and women who make up the NYPD received a 76% approval rating. • The quality of police services in neighborhoods received an overall mean rating of 6.88 out of 10, which includes response times, preventing crimes and overall community relationships. Page 1 of 2
• 70% of respondents would like to see police patrols increased in their neighborhoods. • Overall, 42% of respondents say the quality of life is getting worse and 50% say “aggressive panhandling and begging” is getting worse. • Nearly half of the respondents, 48%, say the statistics that show decreased in crime in NYC are false.
NYC PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said:
“The results of this survey prove that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support their police officers and the work we do, but they’re still concerned about the public safety environment. Concerns about crime and quality of life issues are continuing to create an impression that our city is on the wrong track. New Yorkers overwhelmingly want to see an increased police presence in their neighborhoods, a demand that the NYPD cannot meet with its current diminished headcount. Additionally, nearly half of New Yorkers think that the decreasing crime statistics being presented by Mayor de Blasio are false. The bottom line is, this poll shows that New Yorkers are uneasy about a lot of things occurring under the de Blasio administration, but the work being performed by New York City police officers is not one of them. The job has become increasingly difficult and dangerous yet even more critical for our city, and we need the Mayor to come to the table and support us – with a market rate of pay and a fair disability benefit – so that we can continue to make this city a better place to live, work, and raise our families.”
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The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) is the largest municipal police union in the nation and represents nearly 50,000 active and retired NYC police officers.
To view this release as a .pdf please click here.
