Community Corner

Poll: 40 Percent of Voters Say Corruption in NYC Government a Serious Problem

Voters also find Republicans are more identified with corruption than Democrats, 38 percent to 26 percent

 

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, 40 percent of voters across similar party, gender, race, age and income lines say New York City government corruption is a "very serious" problem.

Interestingly, the poll also found that 56 percent of voters believe New York City has about as much corruption as other big cities, while 18 percent say there is more corruption in the Big Apple, and 18 percent say there is less.

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The poll results come one week after the FBI arrested Queens City Councilman Dan Halloran and state Sen. Malcolm Smith for allegedly colluding to rig the 2013 mayoral election. 

The FBI discovered through an investigation that Halloran, a Republican, and Smith, a high-ranking state Senate Democrat, were allegedly using cash bribes and fraud in an attempt to get Smith onto the 2013 Mayoral ballot as a Republican.

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"Those news pictures of politicians in handcuffs clearly struck a nerve. Nor did it fail to impress New Yorkers that, although some of the bad stuff occurred in Albany, it was city people who were accused," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"But New Yorkers are jaded, or maybe cynical, people. We're pretty much like everybody else when it comes to crooked politics, voters say.”

Poll results found that the Republican Party is more identified with corruption than the Democratic Party, New York City voters say 38-26 percent, while 36 percent are undecided. Democrats blame Republicans 48-18 percent, while Republicans blame Democrats 58 - 21 percent. Independent voters point the finger at Democrats 31 - 25 percent, with 44 percent undecided.


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