2007: In a Tough Spot: Jobs, Taxes and Affordability on Long Island
About the Survey
This survey, commissioned by the Rauch Foundation, was undertaken to revisit local opinion on the economy, taxes, housing costs and services that has been monitored through the over the past several years. It was conducted by the Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research during the Fall of 2006. Telephone interviews were conducted with a randomly selected sample of 808 Long Island residents, and with randomly selected oversamples of 205 African-American and 100 Hispanic residents of Long Island.
Key Findings of the survey include the following:
STILL A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, BUT DISSATISFACTION IS GROWING
- Long Island Residents identify with their region, and consider it a good place to live: Accessibility to beaches and New York City, amenities and friends and family, all contribute to residents’ connections to their “Island”.
- Fewer Long Islanders Believe things are Going in the Right Direction: Since 2002 there has been a slow, steady decline in the number of Long Islanders who say things are heading in the right direction in their county.
- Schools Slipping, But Still Receive High Scores: Perceptions of local public schools have slipped in the last few years. Nonetheless, Long Islanders remain relatively pleased with their public schools, express satisfaction with teachers, and rate highly the overall quality of local education.
- Not all served well: Although levels of satisfaction with local schools and services are generally high, they also vary tremendously across Long Island, with far greater dissatisfaction among residents of high need school districts.
THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
- Long Island Economy not Improving: A majority of Long Islanders perceive the local economy and job opportunities as either the same or worse than one year ago, and they do not expect significant improvement in the coming year.
THE TAX CRUNCH
- Tax Woes: Most Long Islanders continue to view the problem of high taxes as a very serious problem, and many cite it as THE major local problem.
UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING
- Rising Housing Costs: Concerns over housing affordability continue to plague the region.
- Thinking of Leaving: The number of Long Islanders who said they may leave in the next five years and move to an area with lower housing costs and property taxes increased dramatically between 2004 and 2005, and remained at this high level in 2006. For many, the decision to leave Long Island will be a difficult one.
HARD CHOICES ON SCHOOL FISCAL POLICY
- School Consolidation Divisive: Long Islanders continue to be deeply divided over the consolidation of school districts as a way to cut school costs, although consolidation continues to be more popular among residents of high need school districts.
- Repairing Inequities; Sharing the Wealth: A majority of Long Islanders support shifting some resources from wealthier to poorer school districts, and think that replacing part of the property tax with an income tax on higher income households is a good idea.
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