Nationwide Poll Finds 6% Think New York is a Good Place to Live

A national poll conducted after the blackout in New York City on July 13-14 found that 6 percent of those polled think New York is a good place to live and 34 percent think it is a good place to visit.

The finding indicate that New York’s negative image in the country is strong. In Kansas City MO someone said, “We had looting here in the summer of 1967. New York has no monopoly on that sort of thing. It could happen anywhere.”

Someone from Miami said, “It’s just what you expect from New York. Most of us expect the worst and New York didn’t let us down.”

As a place to live 1% rated the city as “excellent,” 5% “good,” 19% “fair,” and 65% “poor.” Better numbers for visit but “poor” was the largest vote getter.

Last year after Operation Sail and the DNC won praise for New York from tens of thousands of visitors, it was widely believed that many Americans were taking a more positive attitude toward New York. (Bicentennial vibes wore off fast).

“New York still is the Big Apple as far as I’m concerned. It is still the most interesting city in America. Its problems, like its good points, just seem bigger.”

“Its another black eye for New York. I suspect more taxpayers will leave. After last year’s DNC its like two steps forward and one step back. The big question is can Con Ed operate and is New York manageable?

Commenting on 5 explanations on why so many people participated in the looting, half said it was because “they are out of work and frustrated.” Two-thirds said they were “the kind of people who always steal if they think they can get away with it.” More than three-quarters said it was not because “they are poor and needy.”

excerpt from Michael Sterne NYT 7/29/77