An overwhelming majority of private sector workers in New York City say they don’t want to return to work in offices as long as crime continues to surge in the subway system and in the streets, according to a survey. A poll conducted by Morning Consult found that 94% said that not enough is being done to address homelessness and mental illness in the city. A majority also said local government failed to address assaults and gun violence. Some three out of four (74%) commuters who use mass transit to get to work said that safety has gotten worse since the start of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago. The survey found that 84% of private sector workers thought conditions in the city have gotten worse over the past two years while 40% said they are considering moving out of Manhattan altogether. When asked if they were optimistic or pessimistic about the city’s future, just 38% said they were optimistic while 28% expressed pessimism. More than 30% said they were unsure. Despite the pessimism, the overwhelming majority of those polled said they were committed to helping the city recover. Seventy-two percent agreed with the statement “I am committed to NYC and want to be part of its recovery,” according to the poll. Just 17% said they disagreed with the statement while 12% responded “don’t know.” A plurality (36%) of those surveyed live in Manhattan while 25% live in the outer boroughs. The others surveyed live in either New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, and the northern suburbs. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the former transit cop who ran on a platform of reducing crime citywide, has urged businesses to bring their employees back into the office as a way of reviving the local economy. Adams this week called police brass on the carpet over the two dozen shooting incidents that took place this past weekend — sparking the NYPD to scramble to get more cops on the streets in a revival of some “broken windows” policies, The Post has learned. Adams spoke with top NYPD officials on Tuesday over the surge in bloodshed that left 29 people wounded ahead of his planned news conference on the department’s new anti-gun units, law-enforcement sources said Wednesday.
