NYC Voters Distrust Mayor Eric Adams and Think He Prioritizes His Own Interests Over Everyday New Yorkers
By Isa Alomran and Rob Todaro
A new Data for Progress survey, in conjunction with No Power Grab NYC and commissioned by New Yorkers Defending Democracy, examined 1,421 New York City likely voters’ perceptions of Mayor Eric Adams and their awareness of the Charter Revision Commission formed by the mayor. The survey was fielded from September 13-20 — before Adams was indicted yesterday on five federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
The survey finds that NYC voters have very negative impressions of Adams, especially compared with several city agencies he leads, and that he is seen as an ineffective leader.
Two-thirds of NYC voters (67%) disapprove of how Adams handles his duties as mayor. This includes majorities of Democrats (61%) and voters of color who are Asian (73%), Latino (61%), and Black (55%).
Similarly, when voters are asked if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Adams and several NYC agencies, 62% of voters say they view Adams unfavorably, including a majority of Democrats (57%) and a plurality of Black voters (49%). Only 26% of NYC voters view Adams favorably.
Adams’ -36-point favorability rating is significantly worse than the ratings for the NYC Department of Corrections (-11), the City Council (+8), the Police Department (+14), and the Department of Sanitation (+57).
The survey then asked respondents how much they trust Adams to do each of the following: run the city effectively, ensure the views of different NYC communities are reflected in policy, prioritize everyday New Yorkers’ needs over his own interests, and speak truthfully about events, policies, and issues.
Across these four metrics, more than 3 in 5 NYC voters distrust the mayor to do these things. The highest trust rating Adams gets is from 30% of voters who think he will ensure the views of different NYC communities are reflected in policy, but 63% of voters still distrust him to do this.
In May, Adams formed a Charter Revision Commission and gave it nine weeks to review the entire City Charter, hold public hearings in every borough, and make recommendations to change the charter. This process led the commission to approve five citywide ballot measures that would change the charter on several key issues. Voters will be able to vote on these five ballot measures this November.
After being provided this information, voters were asked: How much have you heard, read, or seen about any of these ballot measures or the Charter Revision Commission that produced them?
Nearly 2 in 3 voters (65%) say they have heard “nothing at all” about the five ballot measures or the Charter Revision Commission. Among NYC voters who say they have heard, read, or seen “a lot” or “some,” a plurality say it’s been “mostly neutral.”
This survey finds that a strong majority of NYC voters have an unfavorable opinion of Mayor Adams and disapprove of how he is handling his job. To make matters worse for Adams, voters also distrust him to do key things, such as running the city effectively and prioritizing everyday New Yorkers’ needs over his own interests. Although Adams pushed to form a Charter Revision Commission and approve five citywide ballot measures for the 2024 general election in November, most NYC voters have heard, read, or seen nothing at all about these efforts.
Isa Alomran is a lead analyst at Data for Progress.
Rob Todaro (@robtodaro) is the Communications Director at Data for Progress.