A new poll put out by Siena/New York Times today finds that New Yorkers support the creation of new charter schools by a wide margin.
According to the poll, 56 percent of New Yorkers want to see more charter schools, including 53 percent of Democrats. Democratic mayoral candidate BIll de Blasio has said he does not want the city’s charter sector to grow, while Republican Joe Lhota has said he would try to double the number of charter schools in the city.
The poll of 700 likely voters, which had a margin of error of 3.7 percent, found that support for charter schools was highest among New Yorkers 18-29, at 74 percent, and Hispanic voters, at 69 percent. Opposition was highest among union households, at 46 percent, and among New Yorkers earning more than $100,000 a year, 39 percent of whom opposed expanding the charter sector.
The poll also found that 27 percent of New Yorkers said education would be their top issue when they head to the polls next month. The only issue to matter most to more New Yorkers was jobs.