Press release

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Tracy Munford
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Blacks, Latinos & Immigrants Chart Course: NYC’s Final Frontier?

CSS Unheard Third Survey Reveals Groups in City Close, Yet Far

New York, NY, January 23, 2007 -- The Community Service Society of New York’s (CSS) annual survey of low-income New Yorkers, The Unheard Third, reveals the complex views of the city’s Black, Latino and immigrant residents on conditions affecting the working poor, and the relationship of these groups to each other. Despite general consensus on the issues that they contend should be the priorities of elected officials, differences emerge between native (U.S.-born) Blacks and Latinos, and immigrants in the city on the question of what worries each group most, the source of their problems and what they perceive they need to get ahead.

“There is perhaps no other time in recent memory,” noted David Jones, president and CEO of CSS, “when there is such great opportunity for a new vision of our city energized by new immigrants, yet work remains on making sure that we shape a collective view informed by common concerns and not by stereotypes. The Unheard Third reveals the potential for such an agenda and the challenges we must overcome.”

Survey respondents, both native New Yorkers and immigrants (Black and Latino), align on the top two issues they want elected officials to address: keeping rents down and building more affordable housing, and improving public schools and decreasing dropouts. And they also want elected officials to address the need for new construction jobs and increased spending on terrorism, with native residents ranking the latter slightly higher as a concern and immigrants seeing jobs as a higher priority among the two.

“With our new Governor's support and a Mayor already so focused on reducing poverty, we are at a moment of unprecedented opportunity to address these issues, especially in the areas of affordable housing, improving pubic education, and helping students remain in school," said Lawrence Mandell, CEO and President of United Way of New York City, a major funder of the survey. "We--government, business and the nonprofit sector as partners--must not fail to seize this opportunity."

Despite the intersection of interests between native-born New Yorkers and immigrants, the Unheard Third reveals clear differences in what worries low-income residents most.  For the foreign-born housing and health care are their greatest concerns, while native New Yorkers express anxiety over finding or maintaining a job and crime. These views are reflected in the experiences of each group. Native born Blacks and Latinos are more likely to have experienced long periods of unemployment, while immigrants are less likely to live in subsidized housing or have health insurance.

The good news is that all groups see a way out of their present circumstance, albeit each with an eye toward their primary concerns. Over one-third of immigrants surveyed point to health insurance (36%) and housing (34%) as their greatest needs, while an equal proportion of native-born New Yorkers identify vocational and higher education (35%) and job training (34%) as their greatest needs.

David Jones said, “What is encouraging is that both groups – native born Blacks and Latinos and immigrants – not only articulate their areas of concerns but also have a clear sense of what they need to improve their condition. Rather than speculate about what these New Yorkers need, our elected officials should respond to the points raised in this survey.”

New York City remains the gateway to opportunity as is evidenced by the overwhelming view of all residents (e.g. natives, immigrants, recent immigrants) who believe their children face a more economically secure future; a view more optimistic among recent immigrants and more so among all groups in the city than the nation. Likewise, Unheard Third survey respondents reflect the positive view of New Yorkers toward immigration in general and the sense that immigrants contribute to the well being of the city.

More troubling is the divergent viewpoints held by native-born Blacks on the issue of whether immigrants negatively impact their economic security. While Blacks and Latinos, and to a lesser degree whites, agree that immigrants are taking away jobs from Americans and lowering wages, an almost equal proportion disagree with that view. It is the intensity of Black anxiety toward the negative view that is noteworthy. The Unheard Third reveals that native-born Blacks strongly believe (40%) that immigrants are stealing jobs. An even higher proportion (45%) of Blacks believe that new immigrants are suppressing wages for Americans. These views mirror the opinion of low-income, native-born New Yorkers, 41 percent of whom see immigrants as taking away jobs from Americans.

There is a silver lining. On several issues the Unheard Third survey points to the potential for collaboration between native-born Blacks and Latinos and immigrants. Both groups support mandatory pre-K, public funding for programs to support high-school dropouts and eliminating tuition at CUNY colleges for families making less than $32,000 per year. There is also consensus on the issue of health care coverage for the uninsured and increasing aid to public schools in the city. Though concern over jobs continue to occupy the thoughts of native-born Blacks and Latinos, and new immigrants are seen as competition; alignment on these issues could forge a political agenda for people of color since almost two-thirds of low-income native born New Yorkers continue to believe immigrants are making a positive contribution to the city. However, a bridge must be built between native-born Blacks and the immigrant community for such an alliance to occur.

“The Unheard Third” survey, conducted for CSS by national polling firm Lake Research Partners, is a unique snapshot of the policy preferences of New Yorkers. The survey is the only instrument of its kind in the nation that takes into account the challenges facing low-income urban residents and solicits their self-defined priorities.  “The Unheard Third” is funded by the generous support of the United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust. To learn more about this year’s survey, obtain results and request interviews with CSS policy experts go to:  www.cssny.org/research/unheardthird.

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