The MAS Survey on Livability
Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation Conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion
Satisfaction with NYC/
Overall, are you very satisfied, satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with New York City as a place to live?
84% of New Yorkers are satisfied or very satisfied
very satisfied
satisfied
not very satisfied
not at all satisfied
Satisfaction by Borough/
Satisfied or very satisfied with New York City as a place to live:
Bronx 77%
Queens 85%
Brooklyn 79%
Staten Island 80%
Manhattan 95%
Satisfaction with Neighborhood/
Overall, are you very satisfied, satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with your neighborhood as a place to live?
82% of New Yorkers are satisfied or very satisfied
very satisfied
satisfied
not very satisfied
not at all satisfied
Dissatisfaction by Borough/
Dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with your neighborhood as a place to live:
Queens 16%
Brooklyn 20%
Staten Island 10%
Manhattan 9%
Bronx 31%
31% of Bronx residents are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied
Would You Move?/
If you had the opportunity, would you:
5-10 years
Continue living where you are now
Move to another part of your neighborhood
Move to another area in New York City
Move out of New York City all together
11%
15%
24%
51%
Would You Move? Borough Responses/
Would you move out of New York City all together? Yes:
Queens 23%
Brooklyn 23%
Staten Island 33%
Manhattan 11%
Bronx 39%
Neighborhood Assessment/
For each of the following, please tell me if you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement, :*
*Presents percentage reporting either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’
Has easy access to public transportation Is a good place to walk
Is clean Has good parks & green spaces
I feel safe walking at night by myself Is a good place to raise children
Is rich with history
93% 85%
76%
74% 72%
63%
76%
People frequently move in & out Is noisy
62% 55%
46%
Has good schools
Neighborhood Assessment Disparities/
Safe walking along at night? YES—Manhattan (89%) & Staten Island (80%) NO—Bronx (59%) & Brooklyn (69%)
Noisy? YES– Manhattan (56%) & Bronx (50%)
Good place to raise kids? YES—72% of New Yorkers
Good parks & green spaces? NO—32% of Brooklyn
Neighborhood Services/
For each of the following, please tell me if you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement:*
*Presents percentage reporting either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’
Quality of grocery stores & markets Police protection
Quality of shopping
Variety of good restaurants
Street repair & maintenance A place to experience culture, such as museums & the arts
Variety of entertainment, such as cinemas & theaters
71% 67%
65%
51%
42% 41%
63%
Neighborhood Services Disparities/
Good grocery stores and markets? NO—40% of the Bronx & 27% of Manhattan YES– 74% of Brooklyn & 75% of Staten Island
Street repair and maintenance? POOR or FAIR—59% of Staten Island
Cultural outposts? YES—61% of Manhattan & 47% of Brooklyn
Access to entertainment? YES—57% of Manhattan & 40% of Staten Island
Housing Development/
Which one of the following comes closest to your view? Development of housing in my neighborhood should:
Build new housing but only in the style of existing housing
Build new housing which is affordable regardless of the style
There shouldn’t be any more housing development in my neighborhood
14%
28%
37%
Preserve & restore existing buildings
21%
Business Development/
Which one of the following comes closest to your view? Business development in my neighborhood should:
Support development of small businesses that fit into my neighborhood
Support development of large businesses that will employ many people regardless of whether it fits into my neighborhood
There shouldn’t be any more business development in my neighborhood
42%
22%
15%
Preserve & support existing businesses
14%
Unsure 6%
Development Findings/
New housing developments? NO—37% of New York & 67% of Staten Island
Preserve existing buildings?
Build affordable housing?
Develop new businesses? YES—78% of New Yorkers
New large scale business developments? YES—26% of Brooklyn
My Neighborhood/
43%
54%
Unsure: 4%
I prefer to shop at large, chain, retail stores for food or groceries
I prefer to shop at locally-owned, small stores for clothes
I prefer to shop at large, chain, retail stores for clothes
Unsure: 5%
29%
66%
There are plenty of locally owned small businesses in my neighborhood
Large, chain retail stores & restaurants have replaced many of the locally owned, small businesses neighborhood
72%
21%
Unsure: 7%
My neighborhood has done a good job at preserving its historic buildings and landmarks
Many of the historic buildings and landmarks have been replaced or not maintained
54%
32%
Unsure: 14%
I prefer to shop at locally-owned, small neighborhood stores for food or groceries
Made in New York/
When you see a “Made in New York” label, which comes closer to your view:
contributing to my local economy
unsure
paying too much for product
Protecting Open Space/
Is it more important to you to have:
unsure
open space
new business
A great deal.
A good amount
Not very much
Not at all
Protecting Open Space/
I don’t use public space and parks because: THEY’RE DANGEROUS—10% of Manhattan, 6% of Queens & 8% of Staten Island; 1 in 5 Latinos THERE AREN’T ANY—19% of Staten Island I DON’T HAVE TIME—33% of New York
How much do you use the parks and public spaces in your neighborhood?
Best Place to Live/
For each of the following, please tell me which borough of New York City, that is, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island, comes to mind?
Bronx 7%
Queens 24%
Brooklyn 24%
Staten Island 9%
Manhattan 31%
Unsure 5%
Safest/
For each of the following, please tell me which borough of New York City, that is, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island, comes to mind?
Bronx 5%
Queens 19%
Brooklyn 11%
Staten Island 14%
Manhattan 38%
Unsure 14%
Friendliest/
For each of the following, please tell me which borough of New York City, that is, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island, comes to mind?
Bronx 7%
Queens 23%
Brooklyn 24%
Staten Island 7%
Manhattan 28%
Unsure 11%
Most Family Friendly/
For each of the following, please tell me which borough of New York City, that is, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island, comes to mind?
Bronx 7%
Manhattan 15%
Brooklyn 28%
Staten Island 12%
Unsure 8%
Queens 30%
Most Affordable/
For each of the following, please tell me which borough of New York City, that is, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island, comes to mind?
Queens 21%
Brooklyn 23%
Staten Island 13%
Unsure 12%
Manhattan 4%
Bronx 26%
New Yorkers Are Happy/
Overall, in your life, would you say you are: Borough Comparisons*
*Presents percentage reporting either ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’
Queens 93%
Brooklyn 89%
Manhattan 91%
Staten Island 95%
Bronx 86%
The MAS Survey on Livability
Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation Conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion