This poll, fielded August 22-28, 2005, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. The focus of this survey was the 2005 New York City mayoral race. Residents of the city were asked to give their opinions of the candidates running for mayor and how those candidates would deal with various issues. Their opinions were also sought about the New York City school system. The candidates mentioned in the survey included current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Fernando Ferrer, Virginia Fields, Gifford Miller, and Anthony Weiner. A series of questions asked the respondents to give their opinion on the subject of the World Trade Center site, whether Mayor Bloomberg or Governor George Pataki was more responsible for the redevelopment of this site, and if they thought the efforts to redevelop the site were going too quickly, too slowly, or just the right pace. Respondents were also asked to rate the New York City economy and if they thought it was getting better or worse. Questions respondents were asked concerning New York City schools included whether they were satisfied with the public school system, what type of school the respondents' children attended, and their opinion regarding the amount of influence the Bloomberg administration had had on the improvement of test scores in the New York public schools. Respondents were asked to compare neighborhood safety at the time of the survey to that of four years previously, what their opinion was on race relations in the New York City area, and if they approved or disapproved of the way Mayor Bloomberg was handling the redevelopment of downtown Manhattan. Other general topics included the economy, crime, security, and public transportation. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, household income, education level, employment status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious affiliation, marital status, borough of residence, and age group.

This data collection consists of responses to a survey of voters in the New York City mayoral election. Respondents were asked which mayoral candidate they voted for, how much they liked that candidate, when they decided on that candidate, which issues and factors most affected their vote, if TV ads influenced their vote, how reports of David Dinkins' personal financial affairs affected their vote, if campaign activities of various governmental leaders affected their vote, if race was a factor in voting, and if they had been recently contacted about voting. Respondents also evaluated Ed Koch's job performance, indicated if they would have voted for Koch had he been on the ballot, expressed opinions of each candidate, and speculated on the performance of David Dinkins and Rudolph Giuliani should one of them be elected. Other items include the city budget deficit, respondent's vote in the 1989 Democratic mayoral primary and in elections involving municipal offices and ballot proposals, and optimism/pessimism regarding the future of the city. Demographic information includes sex, race, age, party preference, political orientation, education, family income, ethnicity, and union membership.

This special topic poll dealt with issues of concern to residents of New York City and focused primarily on the mayoral campaign. Respondents were questioned regarding David Dinkins' handling of his job as mayor, their opinions of mayoral candidates David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani, Roy Innis, Andrew Stein, and Herman Badillo, their level of satisfaction with the mayoral candidates, whom they intended to vote for in the mayoral election, and whether Ed Koch's endorsement of a mayoral candidate would make a difference in how they voted. With the departure of Herman Badillo from the mayoral race, respondents were asked if Badillo's possible bid for comptroller and support of Giuliani's candidacy would influence their support for Giuliani. Those surveyed were also asked whether the candidates had strong leadership qualities, whether race relations would improve with the election of Dinkins, Giuliani, or Stein, whether Dinkins was tough enough to deal with the crime problem in New York City, and which of the problems facing New York City the next mayor should concentrate most on. Respondents' opinions regarding life in New York City was gauged by items inquiring whether life had improved in the last four years, whether race relations were generally good, whether the police treated both whites and Blacks fairly, whether the city and the respondents' neighborhoods were more safe than four years ago, and whether the city and the respondents' neighborhoods would be better places to live 10-15 years from now. Additional questions dealt with the New York City police department, the New York City city council, the distribution of condoms in New York City public high schools, the quality of public schools in New York City, homosexuals and homosexuality, the firing of the New York City Schools Chancellor Joseph Fernandez, immigrants, Cardinal John O'Connor, the Catholic church, Elizabeth Holtzman, and Al Sharpton. Background information on respondents includes crime victimization, gay or lesbian friend/family member, political party, political orientation, vote choice in the 1989 Democratic primary and general election for mayor, borough, parental status, children who attend public school, labor union membership, religious preference, attendance at religious services, education, age, race, Hispanic origin, family income, and sex.

This poll, the first of two fielded August 2012, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked their opinion of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's job performance, his amendment of mayor term limits, and whether they approved his handling of crime in the city. Data were collected on general aspects of respondents' lives in New York City, including opinions on their long range view of the city's livability, the city's economy, the city's most important issue, whether they had plans to relocate, whether they held a good or bad image of the city, and who they voted for mayor in 2009. Further opinions were solicited on the state of New York City police and law enforcement, including views on the "stop and frisk" tactic, ethnic group targeting, and whether they approved of Ray Kelly's job performance as New York City Police Commissioner. Questions were also raised on the bicycle lane, bike sharing program and respondents' bicycle riding frequency. Furthermore, respondents were asked about the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, whether they favored the new arena, and how frequently they would attend games. They were also queried on their eating habits, including frequency of dinner in restaurants, the cost at the restaurant, and how often they ate street food. Additional topics included soda preference and the soda ban, opinions of Anthony Weiner, and the noise problem in New York City. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, education level, employment status, household income, religious preference, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voting behavior, borough of residence, and whether respondents were registered to vote.

This special topic poll, fielded May 29-June 3, 2009, focuses on the opinions of 1,057 residents of the state of New York, including 683 residents of New York City. Residents were asked whether things in the state of New York and New York City were going in the right direction, the condition of the state and local economy, and whether they wanted to be living in the same place in four years. Views were sought on David Patterson and his handling of the job of governor of New York, the New York State Legislature, United States Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former New York City Mayors Eliot Spitzer and Rudolph Giuliani, New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Information was collected on the respondent's financial situation, including job loss in the household in the past 12 months, the affordability of eating out, and their ability to make major purchases and pay off debt. New York City residents were asked about Bloomberg's handling of his job as mayor, his political party affiliation, the quality of life in New York City and whether it had improved or gotten worse since Bloomberg became mayor, New York City term limit laws, the city's response to the H1N1 or swine flu outbreak, and whether respondents were a Yankee or Mets fan. Additional topics addressed same-sex marriage; proposals to fight obesity, including raising taxes on candy, chips, and soda pop; banning the advertisement of these products during children's television programming; and requiring restaurants to list nutritional information on menus. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, whether respondents had children under the age of 18 years living in the household, whether their child attended a public or private school, and whether anyone in the household belonged to a labor union or was employed by the city of New York.

This special topic poll, fielded April 1-5, 2000, queried residents of New York State on the prospective Senate race between First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 2000, and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, New York State governor George Pataki, Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani, and civil rights activist Al Sharpton. Regarding the upcoming Senate race, respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the upcoming election, for whom they would vote, whether that decision was firm, and who they thought would win. Respondents were also asked which of the potential candidates cared more about people like the respondent, whether the candidates cared about the needs and problems of Black people, and whether the candidates were trying to bring together or divide various groups of New Yorkers. Respondents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of the way Giuliani was handling his job as mayor, and the way he was handling crime, education, and race relations. Regarding Mrs. Clinton, respondents were asked whether they approved of the way she was handling her role as First Lady. Opinions were also elicited on whether Hillary Clinton and Giuliani were spending more time explaining what they would do as senator or attacking each other. Respondents were asked to rate the performance of the New York City police department, whether the police should interfere in individuals' freedoms to make the city safer, and if the respondent had ever been insulted by an officer, felt in personal danger from a police officer, or felt safer because of a police officer. Other questions focused on whether racial profiling was widespread in New York City, whether racial profiling was justified, whether respondents had personally been racially profiled, and if the police favored whites over Blacks or Blacks over whites. In relation to the police shooting death of Patrick Dorismond, an unarmed Black male, outside of a Manhattan bar, respondents were asked how closely they had been following the shooting, how common brutality by the New York City police department against minorities was, how the policies of the Giuliani administration affected the amount of police brutality in New York City, whether the officer involved in the Dorismond shooting should face criminal charges, and whether the public comments made by Giuliani, Hillary Clinton, and Sharpton regarding the shooting made the situation better or worse. Background information on respondents includes voter registration and participation history, political party, political orientation, marital status, religion, education, age, sex, race, Hispanic descent, and family income.

This special topic poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and a range of other political and social issues. The study was conducted in part to assess respondents' interest in and opinions about the 2002 elections in the state of New York. Residents of that state were asked to give their opinions of Governor George Pataki and his handling of the governorship, the economy of New York, Pataki's response to the attacks on the World Trade Center, and his participation in the recovery efforts following the terrorist attacks. Also elicited were views of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, state comptroller H. Carl McCall, and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Those queried were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 5, 2002, elections. Respondents were also asked for whom they would vote if the election for governor were held that day, given a choice between George Pataki (Republican Party), H. Carl McCall (Democratic Party), and Tom Golisano (Independent Party). Respondents were also asked which candidate cared more about the needs of residents of New York City, residents of the suburbs, residents of upstate New York, and of people like the respondent. Those queried were asked to specify which candidate was more likely to raise taxes, improve the state of the New York economy, help all the people of New York, and help only special interest groups. Respondents were also asked if Pataki and McCall were spending more time during the campaign attacking each other or explaining what they would do if elected. Respondents were asked to consider whether Pataki had made progress in the following areas during his eight years in office: improving public school education, reducing New York State's taxes, improving the state's economy, creating jobs in New York State, protecting the environment, and reducing the state's debt. They were asked for whom they would vote if the election for state comptroller were held that day, given a choice between John Faso (Republican Party) and Alan Hevesi (Democratic Party). Likely voters were asked whether a candidate's stance on keeping open the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, located in Westchester, New York, would influence their vote. Additional questions probed respondents' views on the Rockefeller laws requiring mandatory sentences for drug offenses, environmental protection, the quality of New York State public schools, the influence of Blacks and Catholics in how the state of New York was run, whether employees who worked in New York City and lived elsewhere should be charged a commuter tax, whether state financial aid to New York City was adequate, and the preferred solution to the state's budget concerns. Those queried were asked for their views on Bloomberg's tenure as mayor, specifically his record on crime compared to that of his predecessor Rudolph Giuliani. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, religion, marital status, Hispanic descent, race, years in community, household income, and whether they watched or listened to the October 13 gubernatorial debate.

This special topic poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and a range of other political and social issues. The study was conducted in part to assess respondents' interest in and opinions about the 2002 elections in the state of New York. Residents of that state were asked to give their opinions of Governor George Pataki and his handling of the governorship, the economy of New York State, his response to the attacks on the World Trade Center, and his participation in the recovery efforts following the terrorist attacks, as well as their views of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, state comptroller H. Carl McCall, and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Those queried were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 5, 2002, elections. Respondents were asked for whom they would vote if the election for governor were held that day, given a choice between George Pataki (Republican Party), H. Carl McCall (Democratic Party), and Tom Golisano (Independent Party). Respondents were asked which candidate cared more about the needs of people like the respondent, residents of New York City, residents of the suburbs, and residents of upstate New York. Those queried were asked to specify which candidate would be more likely to raise taxes, improve the state of the New York economy, help all people of New York, and help only special interest groups. Respondents were also asked if Pataki and McCall were spending more time during the campaign attacking each other or explaining what they would do if elected. Respondents were asked to consider whether Pataki had made progress in the following areas during his eight years in office: improving public school education, reducing New York State's taxes, improving the state's economy, creating jobs in New York State, protecting the environment, and reducing the state's debt. They were asked for whom they would vote if the election for state comptroller were held that day, given a choice between John Faso (Republican Party) and Alan Hevesi (Democratic Party). Likely voters were asked whether a candidate's stance on keeping open the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, located in Westchester, New York, would influence their vote. Additional questions probed respondent views on the Rockefeller laws requiring mandatory sentences for drug offenses, environmental protection, the quality of New York State public schools, the influence of Blacks and Catholics in how the state of New York was run, whether employees who worked in New York City and lived elsewhere should be charged a commuter tax, whether state financial aid to New York City was adequate, and the preferred solution to the state's budget concerns. Those queried were asked for their views on Bloomberg's tenure as mayor, specifically his record on crime compared to that of his predecessor Rudolph Giuliani. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, religion, marital status, Hispanic descent, race, years in community, household income, and whether they watched or listened to the October 13, 2000, gubernatorial debate.