New York has been famed as one of the epicenters of activity in America. However, recently, a large number of New Yorkers would prefer to pack their bags and go anywhere other than the “Empire State.” New York-based focus group research provider and survey data collector John Zogby Strategies recently found that 4 in 10 New Yorkers desired to leave and relocate. During the current New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s electoral campaign, the company recorded 39% of respondents expressing their desire or plans to leave New York and 47% of respondents expressed a belief that the state was heading in the wrong direction.

John Zogby Strategies analyst Jeremy Zogby commented that many of these New York emigrants have begun to see the “Empire State” as the “Vampire State.” High taxes and high prices for daily goods have plagued the state more than ever recently. Another factor is dissatisfaction with liberal leadership and partisanship. Analyst John Zogby observed that voters dislike the rising costs associated with taxes and programs, while still desiring the continuation of the programs that benefit them, creating an unsatisfactory political climate.

In another poll, John Zogby Strategies conducted in 2021, 56% of respondents expressed an opinion that New York’s current political system did not work and needed serious changes. A significant number of respondents supported an open primary system because the existing system was “corrupt, stale, and hyper-partisan.”

In light of this, economic and political reasons appear to be the culprits for many New Yorkers’ plans to leave. It will be noteworthy if the current administration is able to address these citizens’ concerns and persuade them to stay in the state.