Straight from New Yorkers captures resident perspectives on the quality of life, public safety, and government service delivery across New York City’s five boroughs. This page covers CBC’s work on citywide resident surveys, public safety trends, housing affordability, municipal service performance, and recommendations for incorporating community feedback into the City Charter.
This page was created with AICBC Insights uses AI to group, analyze and present data and recommendations from CBC's publications. Always reference the cited sources to verify important details..
Key Data
In June 2025, a CBC survey revealed that only 34% of New Yorkers rated the city's quality of life as excellent or good, representing a substantial decrease from 51% in 2017.
A June 2025 report showed that only 42% of New Yorkers rated neighborhood public safety as excellent or good, and the share of residents feeling safe walking alone at night dropped from 70% in 2017 to 59% in 2025.
According to the June 2025 survey, only 27% of residents rated overall government services as excellent or good, while a mere 11% rated government spending as excellent or good.
As of June 2025, 55% of New Yorkers planned to remain in the city over the next five years, with those considering moving citing affordability (76%), safety (73%), and living space (60%) as their primary reasons.
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…
New York City residents report persistent dissatisfaction with quality of life, public safety, and government services, with only 34% rating the city's quality of life as excellent or good. While some specific indicators like neighborhood parks have improved, 76% of residents considering leaving the city cite affordability as a primary reason.
Key Data
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.
11%
— Percentage of residents who rate government spending as excellent or good.
76%
— Percentage of New Yorkers considering moving out of the city who cite affordability as a reason.
73%
— Percentage of New Yorkers considering moving out of the city who cite safety as a reason.
55%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who plan to remain in the city over the next five years.
Revising the City Charter to mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey every five years would provide essential data on how well government services are meeting the needs of local communities. This approach, modeled on previous surveys conducted in 2008, 2017, and 2023, would ensure that resource allocation and management improvements are guided by direct input from residents across all demographic groups.
Recommendations related to Straight from New Yorkers
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
20 percent
— The rating for quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction in the southern and central Bronx was below this percentage.
2017
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission first conducted its resident feedback survey.
2023
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted its second resident feedback survey.
2008
— The year the City conducted a resident feedback survey that served as a foundation for subsequent efforts.
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…
New Yorkers report feeling significantly less safe in their neighborhoods, parks, and subways compared to 2017, with only 37 percent rating neighborhood public safety as excellent or good. City officials are urged to integrate this resident feedback into management systems and policy development alongside existing performance metrics to improve service quality.
Recommendations related to Straight from New Yorkers
The City Council and the Administration should incorporate this type of in-depth, statistically valid feedback into management systems and policy development.
City officials should ensure this data is viewed alongside City service performance metric and CompStat data to get a sharper picture of service quality and results.
Key Data
37 percent
— New Yorkers rating public safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good.
28 percent
— Hispanic respondents rating public safety as excellent or good.
71 percent
— New Yorkers reporting 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.
22 percent
— New Yorkers reporting feeling safe on the subway at night.
New York City residents report a significant decline in satisfaction with the city's quality of life and government services, with only 30 percent rating quality of life as excellent or good compared to 50 percent in 2017. Residents expressed particular dissatisfaction with public safety, housing, and government spending, signaling a need for the administration to prioritize high-impact programs and address affordability challenges.
Recommendations related to Straight from New Yorkers
The Administration should incorporate this type of standardized, statistically valid feedback into its management systems and policy development.
These data should complement and be viewed alongside City service performance data to get a sharper picture of service quality and results.
Efforts to fix these and service shortcomings should be continued and possibly intensified.
The City should prioritize spending on high-impact programs that deliver positive results and tackle the range of related policy challenges.
The City should consider how to reduce spending and offer tax relief to middle-income households, who are feeling the City’s unaffordability acutely.
Key Data
30%
— New Yorkers who rate the quality of life as excellent or good, down from 50% in 2017 and 2008.
37%
— New Yorkers who rate public safety in their neighborhood as excellent or good, down from 50% in 2017.
24%
— New Yorkers who rate the quality of government services as good or excellent, down from 44% in 2017.
11%
— New Yorkers who believe the government is spending tax dollars wisely, down from 21% in 2017.
6,600
— Adults across every borough who participated in the resident survey.
Across New York City, residents most frequently identify infrastructure, safety and crime, and housing as the top issues requiring government attention. In the Bronx specifically, safety and crime is the most cited concern, followed closely by housing and education.
Key Data
38.7%
— Bronx residents citing safety and crime as a top issue requiring government attention.
34.3%
— Bronx residents citing housing as a top issue requiring government attention.
23.2%
— Bronx residents citing schools and education as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.9%
— New York City residents citing infrastructure as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.5%
— New York City residents citing safety and crime as a top issue requiring government attention.
29.3%
— New York City residents citing housing as a top issue requiring government attention.
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.
Regular citywide surveys are essential management tools for assessing municipal service delivery and neighborhood quality of life from the perspective of residents. To ensure objective and timely feedback, these assessments should be conducted by non-governmental entities every two to four years, ideally early in mayoral election cycles.
Recommendations related to Straight from New Yorkers
A survey should be conducted every two years — or every four years at the least — and preferably by a non-governmental entity.
A survey should be conducted early in every mayoral election year, when the public focuses especially on city government's performance.
Key Data
72,000
— New Yorkers selected at random from all five boroughs and each community district to receive the resident survey.
2008
— The year the City of New York last conducted a similar comprehensive survey.
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