Although crime is way down and more tourists than ever are flocking here, a poll from Crain’s (subscription req’d) shows that about a third of New Yorkers think conditions in the city are deteriorating. The results of the poll, which are highlighted in a Daily News article, underscore a growing divide between the way the city is viewed by minorities and whites and the rich and poor. While 61 percent of white respondents said public transportation is good or excellent, only 41 percent of blacks rated it similarly; 20 percent of black respondents, meanwhile, called public schools poor, compared to 6 percent of white respondents who said they were in bad shape. The growing cost of housing is also weighing heavily on New Yorkers: Five years ago, 8 percent of poll respondents said it was difficult to cover their rent or mortgage, but now 18 percent say it’s hard to cover the cost of keeping a roof over their head. The poll results show that the city is losing its middle class, according to former Housing Commissioner Jerilyn Perine. “We used to have a bell curve, with most people in the middle,” she says. “Now you’re seeing a flattening of that curve and a growing high end and a growing poverty rate.”
One-Third Say New York Getting Worse [NY Daily News]
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