The Top Reason NY Residents Are Looking To Leave The State: Poll

NEW YORK — The top reason that New Yorkers are looking to leave the state is ... well, take a guess.

If you guessed taxes, you're right!

Roughly 39 percent of 1,000 New Yorkers surveyed say they plan to move out of the state, while 37 percent of those people cited high taxes as their primary reason for leaving, according to Unite NY, which cited a poll conducted by John Zogby Strategies. The other top reasons people are looking to leave NY are better economic opportunities elsewhere (15 percent) and politics that put party over voter (14 percent).

Last month's poll saw 34 percent of respondents are looking to leave the Empire state.

Nearly half of voters — 47 percent — say New York is on the wrong track compared with 37 percent who say the state is headed in the right direction.

The same poll has Gov. Kathy Hochul as the favorite to win both the Democratic primary and general election. She has 57 percent of the vote to secure the Democratic nomination with Tom Suozzi at 16 percent and Jumaane Williams at 14 percent.

Andrew Giuliani has the lead at 31 percent to secure the Republican nomination for governor. GOP-endorsed candidate Lee Zeldin is at 23 percent and 2014 Gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino is at 21 percent, according to the index.

Head-to-head, Hochul is projected to beat Zeldin by a margin of 50-35 percent, Giuliani 49-35 percent, and Astorino 50-34 percent. In a three-way race, both Hochul and Zeldin’s numbers shrink to 47-33 percent, and Libertarian Larry Sharpe secures 6 percent support, according to the poll.

“While Governor Hochul is posting impressive numbers and the GOP candidates may draw blood before their primary, New Yorkers are in a sour mood this year," John Zogby, founder and senior partner of Zogby Strategies, stated. "No lead is in the bag."