About The Unheard Third
How the 2019 survey was conducted
The Unheard Third is a scientific telephone survey of 1,829 New York City residents reached by cell phones and landlines from June 18 to July 20, 2019. It was designed by Community Service Society in collaboration with Lake Research Partners, a leading national polling firm, who administered it using Random Digit Dialing and professional interviewers. Interviews were conducted in English, Spanish and Chinese. The margin of error for the entire survey is +/- 2.29 percentage points and +/- 2.97 percentage points for the low-income component.
A Large Potential Voting Bloc
Nearly one-third of voting-age citizens in New York City live in low-income households, those with incomes below twice the federal poverty level. That’s almost 1.7 million potential voters.
Identifying Solutions and Shaping Consensus
Since 2002, the Community Service Society has sought to better understand the views and experiences of low-income New Yorkers through a groundbreaking public opinion survey, "The Unheard Third." By conducting the only regular public opinion poll of low-income households in the nation, CSS seeks to ensure that the priorities of our city government reflect the needs of all New Yorkers.
The Unheard Third tracks the hardships of New York City's low-income residents and their views on what programs and policies would help them get ahead. The Unheard Third also surveys middle- and higher-income New Yorkers to see where their priorities converge or diverge from those of low-income New Yorkers.
We use the insights gleaned from our annual survey to elevate the concerns of low-income New Yorkers in the public policy debate and advocate on their behalf. Findings from the survey have been instrumental in our advocacy for half-price subway and bus fares for New Yorkers living below the poverty line; on-the-job benefits such as paid sick days and paid family leave; better wages; and workforce programs such as GED preparation and upgrading career and technical education; as well as greater investment in affordable housing.