New York officials have mounted a firm resistance to Amazon’s plan to open a 25,000-person office in Queens. But a new poll shows they may not have support from the majority of their constituents.
Researchers from the Sienna College Research Institute surveyed 778 registered voters in New York between Feb. 4-7 and 56 percent of them said that they approve of the deal. The New Yorkers polled were reminded that Amazon is eligible for up to $3 billion in state and city incentives for the project.
Those incentives are a major sticking point for opponents of the deal, a group that includes elected officials, labor leaders, and activists.
New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents Queens, is a leader of the opposition movement. He has held protests and publicly criticized the deal’s lack of transparency and the incentives Amazon could receive.
Last week, the New York Senate named Gianaris to a key oversight board where his vote could derail the Amazon deal. A few days later, The Washington Post reported Amazon was having second thoughts about its plans in New York. Sienna conducted its poll after that report was published.
Support for the Amazon project is strongest in the suburbs, with 66 percent of survey respondents saying they approved. In New York City proper, 58 percent said they approved of the deal and 35 percent said they disapproved.
The results square with a December poll by Quinnipiac University that showed 57 percent of registered New York City voters approve of the deal.
