Poll: NY too costly for some

High living costs are leading more residents to think about leaving New York State, according to a poll released last night.

The NY1/YNN-Marist College Poll found 26 percent of adults statewide plan to move to someplace other than New York in the next five years. Sixty-seven percent said they would stay put while 6 percent were unsure.

The exodus of residents younger than 30 could be much greater, with 36 percent saying they plan to move by 2016. Sixty percent of young people expect to stay.

Sentiments were similar two years ago. A Siena College Research Institute Poll in 2009 found 21 percent of adults statewide were thinking about moving.

In last month's Marist poll, 33 percent of people living on Long Island and in the other New York City suburbs said they planned to leave within the next five years. Sixty percent said they would remain.

Among those planning to leave New York, 62 percent said their decision was driven by economic reasons such as jobs, taxes or cost of living. Thirty-eight percent cited proximity to family living out of state, overcrowding, schools, quality of life or retirement.

"New Yorkers are feeling the financial squeeze on the home front," said Marist pollster Lee M. Miringoff. "Unchecked, this threatens to drain the state of the next generation."

Residents of the city suburbs, including Nassau and Suffolk counties, were most likely to describe New York State's cost of living as "not very affordable" or "not affordable at all." Eighty-seven percent said so compared with 80 percent in New York City and 65 percent in upstate.

In the past 10 years, the state's population grew 2.1 percent to 19.4 million. Long Island expanded 2.9 percent to 2.8 million people. Such gains, however, were modest compared with states and regions in the West and South.

The Marist poll also found people were worried about finding employment if they are laid off.

Seventy-six percent of adults statewide said it would be difficult to find a new job that was similar to the old one and about the same distance from their home. The level of concern was similar on Long Island and in the other New York City suburbs.

Residents statewide also are slightly more pessimistic about their family finances and New York's economy than in a similar Marist poll conducted in February.

The most recent survey of 941 adults, conducted April 25-29, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.