Prop boxes at the “Say No to Amazon” rally on Nov. 14, one day after the company officially selected Long Island City for its campus. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
March 18, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
A majority of New Yorkers say that Amazon’s decision to scrap its plans to come to Long Island City was bad for the state, according to a new Sienna College poll of New York State registered voters.
Sixty-one percent of respondents would support the deal–including the $3 billion in state and city incentives– if Amazon were to reconsider and bring 25,000 jobs to the city.
The poll was conducted between March 10 and March 14 by telephone calls conducted in English to 700 New York State registered voters.
“At least 63 percent of Democrats, Republicans and independents, upstaters and downstaters, men and women, young and old, black and white New Yorkers agree: Amazon pulling out of Queens was bad for New York,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
“Even 56 percent of self-described liberals think it was bad for New York. While some may have celebrated Amazon’s announcement to pull the plug, the vast majority of New Yorkers of every stripe thought it was bad for the Empire State,” Greenberg said.
Blame for the deal falling apart was placed on all those involved, including Amazon, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, the State Senate, and local Queens activists.
The biggest villain, according to those surveyed, however, was Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Only 12 percent of respondents called her a hero, while 38 percent said she was a villain.
Ocasio-Cortez was an outspoken critic of the Amazon deal since its inception.
“Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter last November.
Despite the criticism from local officials and activists when the deal was first announced, the poll shows strong support for the Amazon deal, with a large majority of respondents supporting Cuomo’s attempts to get the tech giant to reconsider.
“There is an overwhelming feeling that its cancellation was bad for the state,” Greenberg said. “And there is strong support—among all demographic groups—for Amazon to reconsider and move forward. Clearly, jobs outweigh the cost of government incentives in the minds of most voters.”
