LONG ISLAND: TAXES TOP OF MIND
LONG ISLANDERS WORRY ABOUT LOCAL TAXES, EDUCATION, IMMIGRATION
Rochester, N.Y. (July 24, 2006) - Nearly two-thirds of Long Islanders said state government is doing a poor job of keeping taxes in their area low, the largest percentage of any region in New York, according to a poll commissioned by New York Matters and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
Long Island residents also have a more negative view about their quality of life over the past five years than those around New York State. And the Long Island region has a different priority list than other New York regions -- one that includes not only taxes and education, but also immigration.
The telephone survey was conducted to identify and spotlight the issues that matter most to New Yorkers heading into the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. The study interviewed 2,492 state residents, including the statewide benchmark of 850 residents.
The poll also interviewed extra residents in seven regions to measure opinion within the very different parts of New York. At least 350 residents were interviewed in each region, including the Long Island region of Nassau and Suffolk counties. The margin of error for each region is plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.
Taxes dominated the Long Island region’s answers in the poll. Among the findings on tax and tax policy:
- Nearly two-thirds in the region said the state has done a poor job of keeping down local school property taxes (which is 21 percentage points higher than those across New York State).
- Seventy-one percent said it’s “always” or “often” a good idea to cut taxes (that’s 11 percentage points higher than those statewide).
- One-third said taxes is the greatest issue facing the next governor (that's 13 percentage points higher than what residents across New York said).
Answers given by Long Islanders also show a nuanced view of tax policy. For example, the poll asked whether people would be more concerned with the level of taxes collected or how state government spends tax money. Sixty-eight percent of Long Island residents said they would be more concerned with how state leaders spend tax money.
Other highlights of the poll include:
Issues a governor can do something about: Taxes and education topped Long Island’s list (with 33 percent and 20 percent respectively). But coming in third with 11 percent was immigration, reflecting the role that issue plays in Long Island politics.
- Quality of life over the past five years: Just 9 percent of Long Island residents said their quality of life improved over the last five years, which is lower than the statewide response (19 percent). One-third of L.I. residents said that the quality of life has gotten worse.
- Priorities in education: Providing a quality education to all children was the top educational priority for Long Island residents (47 percent). More Long Islanders selected keeping property taxes low (29 percent) than did those statewide (19 percent).
- Health care: Nearly half of Long Island residents (47 percent) said that New York State government was doing a poor job keeping health care affordable. And nearly half of those in the region (46 percent) ranked affordability as the state government’s top priority.
- Economy: Fifty-five percent of Long Islanders said that “keeping taxes from hurting growth” was the number one priority for state government – far more than those who gave such an answer across New York State (39 percent).
The poll is part of the Center for Governmental Research’s New York Matters initiative. The next phase of the project will be to engage citizens around the state in conversation about the issues. There will be forums, driven by voter discussion, in regions around New York, including Long Island. The New York Matters forum in the Long Island area is scheduled for September 16th. Details of expert participants and the location of the forum will be forthcoming.
Click here to read the full report. (PDF)