A resident survey provides a systematic way to collect and analyze public feedback on the quality of life and government services in New York City. This page covers CBC’s work on the design and implementation of representative resident surveys, the use of public sentiment data to improve agency management, the integration of survey results into the Mayor’s Management Report, and the proposal to mandate periodic feedback collection through the City Charter.
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Modify the Charter to require the City to conduct a statistically valid and representative resident feedback survey at least every four years.
The City should publish the results of the resident survey at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographics, including race, ethnicity, and household income.
The City Charter should be revised to require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographic groups.
The Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographic groups.
The City should incorporate a periodic, statistically valid, representative resident feedback survey that provides New Yorkers’ ratings on quality of life and government services.
Key Data
In the June 2025 resident survey report, only 34% of New Yorkers rated the city's quality of life as excellent or good, which is a substantial decrease from 51% in 2017.
According to the June 2025 survey report, only 42% of New Yorkers rated neighborhood public safety as excellent or good, down from 50% in 2017, while the share of residents who felt safe walking alone at night dropped from 70% to 59%.
The June 2025 survey report revealed that only 27% of residents rated overall government services as excellent or good, down from 44% in 2017, with the majority rating 23 out of 33 services as fair or poor.
The June 2025 survey report indicated that 55% of New Yorkers planned to remain in the city over the next five years, while the top reasons cited for considering moving out were affordability (76%), safety (73%), and living space (60%).
New York City should amend its Charter to mandate a statistically valid and representative resident feedback survey at least every four years to better understand public sentiment on quality of life and city services. This initiative would ensure that feedback from all residents, regardless of their resources or time, is systematically collected and used to improve agency management and responsiveness.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
Modify the Charter to require the City to conduct a statistically valid and representative resident feedback survey at least every four years.
The City should publish the results of the resident survey at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographics, including race, ethnicity, and household income.
Key Data
2008
— The year the City last conducted a resident survey.
2017
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
2023
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
2025
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
2,500 is the number of uniformed officers NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch moved from behind desks to patrolling NYC streets this summer. The move helped drive down serious crimes, and couldn't have come at a better time. In response to a CBC survey last winter, 42% of New Yorkers reported feeling…
Residents are increasingly dissatisfied with New York City's quality of life, public services, and safety, with only one-third rating their quality of life positively and just 11% believing the city spends its $115 billion annual budget wisely. This widespread discontent, coupled with a net loss of residents and income to other states, necessitates a shift toward fiscal discipline, improved service management, and policies that prioritize affordability and infrastructure maintenance.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
Leaders should choose to trim spending to sustainable levels, build up rainy day funds, and negotiate labor deals that balance fair wages with fiscal reality.
Leaders need to choose management systems that deliver results and hold officials accountable to ensure New Yorkers get what they pay for.
The city should focus on evidence-based programs in education and mental health while eliminating ineffective initiatives.
The city must choose to hold the line on taxes, boost housing production, and use only tax incentives proven to grow the economy to improve affordability.
The city must choose to get roads, bridges, and buildings into good shape to address aging infrastructure.
Key Data
1/3
— Proportion of New Yorkers who rate their quality of life positively.
11%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who believe the city is wisely spending its $115 billion annual budget.
100,000
— Number of net residents lost to Florida between 2018 and 2022.
$13.7 Billion
— Amount of personal income lost to Florida between 2018 and 2022 due to resident migration.
New York City residents report persistent dissatisfaction with quality of life, public safety, and government services, with ratings remaining well below pre-pandemic levels. While some specific indicators like parks and travel have improved, residents cite affordability, safety, and living space as the primary reasons for considering leaving the city.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The City should target improvement efforts, policies, programs, and resources toward areas of persistent dissatisfaction, specifically safety, services, and affordability.
The City administration must prioritize focusing on safety, housing, infrastructure, and cleanliness to address resident concerns.
The City must make smart fiscal, management, and investment choices to ensure public safety, improve services, and enhance quality of life.
The City needs to demonstrate responsiveness and a recommitment to the city’s foundational promise of a safe, livable, and opportunity-rich environment.
The City must implement decisive leadership and targeted policies to strengthen public services while maintaining long-term financial stability.
Key Data
76%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who cite affordability as a reason for considering moving out of the city.
34%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate the city's quality of life as excellent or good in 2025.
27%
— Percentage of residents who rate government services as excellent or good in 2025.
55%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who plan to remain in the city over the next five years.
22%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who feel safe on the subway at night.
11%
— Percentage of residents who rate government spending as excellent or good in 2025.
New York City should amend its Charter to mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey every five years, providing granular data at the Community Board level to better inform government service delivery. This initiative would ensure that city officials can effectively identify and address the specific needs of residents, as evidenced by past surveys showing significant disparities in neighborhood satisfaction across different boroughs.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The City Charter should be revised to require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographic groups.
Key Data
below 20%
— Ratings in each Community Board in the southern and central Bronx for neighborhood and quality of life satisfaction.
5
— Number of years between required resident feedback surveys in the proposed Charter revision.
The City Charter should be amended to mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results disaggregated by demographic groups and community boards to ensure equitable representation. This requirement would provide the City with direct feedback from New Yorkers, helping to improve agency management and ensure that government services are responsive to the needs of all residents.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographic groups.
New York City's Mayor's Management Report currently lacks critical resident feedback, failing to capture how New Yorkers rate their quality of life and government services. Implementing a periodic, statistically valid resident survey would provide essential data to help the city improve service quality, accountability, and management.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The City should incorporate a periodic, statistically valid, representative resident feedback survey that provides New Yorkers’ ratings on quality of life and government services.
New York City should be required to conduct a statistically valid and representative resident survey at least once every five years to gather feedback on the quality of city services and life. This data would be published at the community board level and by key demographics to help inform management and improve service quality.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The City Charter should be revised to require the City to conduct a resident survey at least once every five years, starting in calendar year 2025, with statistically valid and representative results published at the Community Board level and by key demographics.
A proposal for a city resident survey is supported, with a recommendation to mandate that this survey occur every five years. This requirement would ensure the data collected is statistically significant across neighborhood, race/ethnicity, and income-band levels.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The Charter should require a city resident survey every five years that is statistically significant at the neighborhood, race/ethnicity, and income-band level.
6,632 is the number of NYC households who responded to CBC's 2023 NYC Resident Survey: "Straight from New Yorkers." The survey provides the most comprehensive, statistically valid, post-pandemic view of how New Yorkers are feeling about the City's quality of life and the quality of government services. Among the many…
The City Charter should be amended to mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years to provide critical insights into service quality and neighborhood-level satisfaction. This requirement would ensure the City consistently tracks public sentiment, which has significantly declined since 2017, to better inform service delivery and policy priorities.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The City Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and by key demographics.
The New York City Charter should be amended to mandate the publication of a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years. This requirement would provide city officials with direct insights into the quality of services and life from the perspective of New Yorkers.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and by key demographics.
New Yorkers' perceptions of public safety have declined significantly since 2017, with fewer residents feeling safe in their neighborhoods, parks, and on the subway. City officials are urged to incorporate this survey feedback into management systems and policy development alongside existing performance metrics to better address service quality and public safety concerns.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
Both the City Council and the Administration should incorporate this type of in-depth, statistically valid feedback into management systems and policy development.
This data should complement and be viewed alongside City service performance metric and CompStat data to get a sharper picture of service quality and results to help drive the needed progress.
Key Data
37 percent
— of New Yorkers rate public safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good, down from 50 percent in 2017.
28 percent
— of Hispanic respondents rate public safety as excellent or good.
28 percent
— of Bronx residents rate their neighborhood public safety as excellent or good.
71 percent
— of New Yorkers report feeling safe in parks and playgrounds during the day.
40 percent
— decrease in the daytime subway safety positive rating since 2017.
52 percent
— decrease in nighttime subway safety positive rating since 2017.
New Yorkers' satisfaction with the city's quality of life and government services has significantly declined since 2017, with only 30 percent currently rating quality of life as excellent or good. Residents expressed particular dissatisfaction with public safety, housing, and government spending, highlighting a need for the city to prioritize high-impact programs and address affordability challenges.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The Administration should incorporate this type of standardized, statistically valid feedback into its management systems and policy development.
The City should prioritize spending on high-impact programs that deliver positive results and tackle the range of related policy challenges.
Beyond that, the City should consider how to reduce spending and offer tax relief to middle-income households, who are feeling the City’s unaffordability acutely.
Efforts to fix these and service shortcomings should be continued and possibly intensified.
The Administration has rightly been focused on these areas, where partnership from the State and federal governments is critical.
Key Data
30 percent
— New Yorkers who rate the quality of life in New York City as excellent or good.
6,600
— Adults across every borough who provided their opinions for the survey.
37 percent
— New Yorkers who rate public safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good.
24 percent
— New Yorkers who rate the quality of government services as good or excellent.
11 percent
— New Yorkers who believe the government is spending tax dollars wisely.
125,000
— New York City households included in the random sample for the survey.
The Mayor’s Management Report fails to capture resident satisfaction, creating a disconnect between official performance metrics and the actual quality of life experienced by New Yorkers. Incorporating periodic resident surveys into official reporting would provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of city service performance.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The Mayor’s Management Report should be broadened to include citizen satisfaction measures, such as results from periodic surveys of City residents, to get a fuller and more accurate picture of the City’s performance.
The way some areas are assessed—particularly air quality, neighborhood cleanliness, and cultural activities—could be rethought so that indicators better capture what New Yorkers experience.
Key Data
19.6 percent
— of residents citywide were satisfied with traffic, the lowest rating among service and quality of life measures.
113,222
— for-hire vehicles were on the City’s streets in fiscal year 2018, representing a 13.3 percent increase from the prior year.
61,342
— noise complaints were made to the Department of Environmental Protection in fiscal year 2018, a 35 percent increase since fiscal year 2014.
175,000
— pest control inspections were conducted by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in fiscal year 2018, a 19.9 percent increase from the previous year.
19,964
— rodent complaints were recorded in fiscal year 2018, a decline of 1,621 from the previous fiscal year.
70.5 miles
— of bike lanes were installed in fiscal year 2018 as part of the Vision Zero initiative.
Across the Bronx, residents most frequently identified safety and crime as the primary issue requiring government attention, with 38.7% of respondents citing it as a top concern. Citywide, the priorities are more evenly distributed, with infrastructure, safety and crime, and housing each identified as a top issue by approximately 30% of residents.
Key Data
38.7%
— Bronx total of survey respondents who cited safety/crime as a top issue requiring government attention.
34.3%
— Bronx total of survey respondents who cited housing as a top issue requiring government attention.
23.2%
— Bronx total of survey respondents who cited schools/education as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.9%
— New York City total of survey respondents who cited infrastructure as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.5%
— New York City total of survey respondents who cited safety/crime as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.3%
— New York City total of survey respondents who cited housing as a top issue requiring government attention.
Queens residents report satisfaction on 27 of 45 indicators regarding municipal services and quality of life, though significant concerns remain regarding infrastructure, safety, and housing. Community Districts 14 and 12 express the highest levels of dissatisfaction, with residents reporting negative experiences on 32 and 31 of the 45 measured indicators.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
The survey results should become the focus of public discussion of how to improve city services and quality of life.
Key Data
27 of 45
— Queens residents are satisfied on <b>27 of 45 indicators</b> regarding municipal services and quality of life.
34 percent
— <b>34 percent</b> of Queens residents cited infrastructure as a top issue needing greater attention from city government.
31 percent
— <b>31 percent</b> of Queens residents cited safety and crime as a top issue needing greater attention from city government.
22 percent
— <b>22 percent</b> of Queens residents cited housing as a top issue needing greater attention from city government.
32
— Residents in Community District 14 are dissatisfied on <b>32 indicators</b> out of 45.
31
— Residents in Community District 12 are dissatisfied on <b>31 indicators</b> out of 45.
New York City residents report low satisfaction with the city's fiscal responsibility, with only 20.8% believing tax dollars are spent wisely, and even lower approval for services for homeless people at 13.7%. While residents generally feel safe in parks during the day at 84.9%, overall satisfaction with government services remains below half at 44.0%.
Key Data
20.8%
— NYC residents who believe the city spends tax dollars wisely.
13.7%
— NYC residents who rate services for homeless people as excellent or good.
84.9%
— NYC residents who feel safe in a park or playground during the day.
20.2%
— NYC residents who rate public housing as excellent or good.
44.0%
— NYC residents who rate the overall quality of NYC government services as excellent or good.
This week's data point is 44% - the share of New Yorkers who are satisfied with New York City municipal services. Listen to Ben Max, Maria Doulis, and special guest Alyssa Katz of the Daily News discuss the findings of CBC's Citywide Resident Feedback Survey.
A survey of 10,000 New Yorkers revealed that only 44% of residents rate city services as "excellent" or "good," with significant dissatisfaction regarding services for homeless people, public housing, and child protection. Only half of residents are satisfied with the city's overall quality of life, highlighting a need for regular performance feedback to guide administrative improvements.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
City government should conduct surveys gauging satisfaction with city services regularly to capture vital insights that can guide administrators in improving government performance.
The Mayor and City Council should create and make public a plan for improvement in the areas that city residents found wanting.
Key Data
44%
— Percentage of city residents who rate city services as “excellent” or “good.”
20%
— Percentage of residents who believe the City spends tax dollars wisely.
50%
— Percentage of New Yorkers satisfied with quality of life in the city overall.
14%
— Percentage of positive ratings for services for homeless people.
20%
— Percentage of positive ratings for public housing.
23%
— Percentage of positive ratings for services protecting at-risk children.
The 2017 NYC Resident Feedback Survey gathered responses from 9,873 households to evaluate public perceptions of quality of life and local government service delivery across the city. The survey, which utilized a sample of 71,673 addresses, provides detailed data on resident satisfaction regarding safety, infrastructure, and various city services.
Key Data
9,873
— Completed survey responses were received from 9,873 households.
71,673
— A total of 71,673 addresses were selected for the survey.
13.8%
— The response rate calculated using AAPOR’s response rate #2 for mailed surveys was 13.8%.
14.2%
— The survey provided a contact rate of 14.2% using AAPOR’s contact rate #3.
Regular citywide surveys, such as the one currently reaching 72,000 New Yorkers, are essential management tools that should be conducted by non-governmental entities every two to four years to gauge public perception of municipal services. These surveys should ideally occur early in mayoral election years to capture public sentiment when government performance is a primary focus.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
A resident survey should be conducted every two years — or every four years at the least — and preferably by a non-governmental entity.
A resident survey should be conducted early in every mayoral election year, when the public focuses especially on city government's performance.
Regular citywide surveys should be used as a management tool to gauge public perception of municipal services and quality of life.
Key Data
72,000
— New Yorkers selected at random from all five boroughs and each community district who will receive the survey in the mail.
2008
— Year the City of New York last conducted a comprehensive survey similar to the current one.
This presentation was given by Maria Doulis, CBC’s Director of New York City Studies, at “The Measured City: Using Data to Improve New York City Government” Conference, on Oct. 30, 2013.
New York City's performance management framework lacks sufficient citizen-derived outcome measures, as current efforts rely heavily on internal agency metrics rather than public satisfaction data. Implementing regular, neighborhood-level resident surveys would provide essential feedback to improve service quality and help align government priorities with the needs of the public.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
Expand the use of citizen-derived outcome measures – public perception of City services should not just be measured by complaints but also by satisfaction survey measures.
New York City should conduct broad citizen surveys that recognize this and are robust enough to allow for geographic analysis at the sub-City level.
Citizen perception data should be paired in reporting in the MMR with other measures of government performance both as a validation of measures collected by individual agency and as a source of richer outcome data than is currently available in some agencies.
The City should be reporting the public perception data it gets from satisfaction surveys in the MMR.
A structure to review survey results must be created, such as a committee or task force of staff, elected officials, and the public formally charged with reviewing the results and making recommendations for action to top managers.
Key Data
651
— Number of New York City residents examined in a two-part research study by the Fund for the City of New York.
2,020
— Number of adults interviewed via telephone in the 2000 and 2001 citizen surveys commissioned by the New York City Council.
75%
— Percentage of local governments that conducted citizen surveys and reported that they found them “very useful.”
60%
— Percentage of jurisdictions with populations ranging from 5,000 to 250,000 that have conducted at least one citizen survey in the last five years.
33%
— Percentage of local governments that used survey data to make policy decisions.
73%
— Percentage of respondents who rated street conditions as fair to poor in the 2000/2001 citizen surveys.
New York City should expand its use of resident satisfaction surveys to better measure public perception of government services, as currently, only about six agencies conduct such surveys without integrating the results into broader performance reporting. Implementing these surveys would provide a more representative view of public priorities than complaint data and help shift government focus toward end-user outcomes.
Recommendations related to Resident Survey
New York City’s leaders should expand the use of resident perception measures by conducting periodic broad satisfaction surveys.
The results derived from these surveys should be reported to the public, either in the MMR or in a separate document.
Survey results should be incorporated into agency performance measurement systems and reporting.
Survey methods employed here should be robust enough to allow for analysis at the sub-City level.
New York City should consider the practices recommended by the ICMA to get the best use out of survey efforts.
Key Data
15
— Number of the 30 largest U.S. cities that use resident satisfaction survey measures in their performance reporting.
33%
— Percentage of local governments that use survey data to make policy decisions.
27%
— Percentage of local governments that use survey data to make budget decisions.
27%
— Percentage of local governments that use survey data to change communication with residents.
18%
— Percentage of local governments that use survey data to make decisions on strategic, land-use or other plans.
6%
— Percentage of local governments that use survey data to update community demographics.
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