Eric Adams Now Incredibly Unpopular, Poll Shows

Only 28 percent of New Yorkers approve of the job that Adams is doing, which is a record low for a New York City mayor.

Eric Adams’s approval rating has sunk even further, per a new poll.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that only 28 percent of New Yorkers surveyed approve of the job that Adams is doing as mayor. Fifty-eight percent said that they disapprove of his performance, with 14 percent saying they didn’t know or not answering. According to Quinnipiac, this is the lowest recorded approval rating since the university began polling city voters in 1996. The poll surveyed 1,297 self-identified registered voters in New York City from November 30 to December 4.

These results come as Adams is contending with the ongoing federal investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign and whether it conspired with the Turkish government to direct foreign contributions to the campaign, as well as facing criticism for his proposed multibillion-dollar budget cuts to offset the expense of the asylum-seeker crisis.

Respondents gave Adams low marks on his handling of specific issues. On crime, 33 percent said they approve of the job he’s doing, while 60 percent disapprove. On the influx of asylum seekers into the city, which Adams has made one of his top priorities, only 26 percent approve of his work, with 66 percent disapproving. When it comes to his handling of the city budget, which the mayor said recently would come with significant cuts, 22 percent of respondents approve of the job he is doing, while 66 percent said they disapprove.

Voters were also polled on the pending federal inquiry into Adams’s campaign. Respondents were asked if they believe Adams himself did anything illegal or unethical. Twenty-two percent said they thought Adams did something illegal, while 30 percent said they believe the mayor did something unethical but not illegal. Only 20 percent said they thought Adams did nothing wrong at all.

This is only the latest poll to suggest that Adams’s popularity might be waning as he’s about to enter his third year in office. Last month, a Marist College poll found that 37 percent of voters polled approved of the job that Adams is doing as mayor compared to 54 percent who disapproved. Though Adams is not up for reelection until 2025, whispers about prospective challenges to his left have only grown stronger as the mayor faces more scrutiny.