A recently-conducted survey by HarrisX, and commissioned by Amazon, reveals that a solid majority of registered voters living in New York City approve of Amazon’s decision to locate one of its new headquarters in Long Island City in Queens. Roughly seven-in-ten NYC registered voters (69%) approve of Amazon’s decision to locate one of its new headquarters in Long Island City in Queens. This approval holds across all demographic groups.

Furthermore, there’s no “not in my backyard” sentiment among respondents when it comes to Amazon opening a new location in Long Island City in Queens. In fact, more Queens residents and those living in State Senate District 12 approve of the decision compared to NYC registered voters overall.

Table 1. Support of Amazon’s New HQ2 among New York City voters

Registered New York Voters believe Amazon HQ2 will create good jobs and improve the economy

Other key findings from the poll include:

• 85% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create good jobs for New Yorkers and Queens residents
• 77% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will improve the economy of New York City
• 70% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise New York City property values
• 68% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will help make New York City an East Coast tech hub
• 58% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise the tax revenues New York needs for education, transportation, and other vital services
• 55% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create new opportunities for local and small businesses

However, a majority of New York registered voters also see it as likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will increase the cost of housing in New York City and complicate public transit and transportation, among other issues.

“The results of this poll are welcome news for both Amazon and New York City. Today, a plurality of New York City voters say that the city’s economy is headed in the wrong direction, and the HQ2 is seen as providing a boost to that economy, including by a majority of Queens’ residents,” said Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX. “Some concerns remain around rising housing prices and transportation, but overall the public sees Amazon HQ2 landing in Long Island City as a win for New York.”

About the Poll

This survey was conducted within New York City from January 24-31, 2019 among 901 registered voters by HarrisX. Findings include an oversample of 170 registered voters living in State Senate District 12. The Survey was administered both online and via phone, with the phone poll completed using live, professional interviewers, in English and Spanish. The sampling margin of error for this poll is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. The results reflect a representative sample of registered voters. Results were weighted for age within gender, borough, race/ ethnicity, and education where necessary to align to their actual proportions in the population.

About HarrisX

HarrisX is a leading opinion research company that specializes in online polling, mix-mode polling, and data analytics. The company has a thirteen-year history assessing public opinion and behavior in the telecom, media, and technology industries through syndicated and custom research services. HarrisX runs the Mobile Insights and Total Communication Surveys, the largest syndicated consumer insights trackers in the United States for the TMT space, which include over 60,000 monthly respondents; the Telephia (beta) metering application, which captures behavioral data; and HarrisX Overnight Poll, which delivers results of general population and voter surveys within 24 hours, looking at Americans' opinions on society, politics, technology and the economy. For more information visit: www.harrisx.com

Click here to access the full data book for the survey.

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