Nutter Popular But Crime A Concern

PHILADELPHIA - A new poll from Pew's Philadelphia Research Initiative looks at how Philadelphians rate Mayor Michael Nutter's job performance and the administration's progress on several policy areas.

Those areas include crime, jobs and education.

A new Pew public opinion poll finds Mayor Nutter's job approval ratings up despite concerns about violent crime and the overall direction.

Crime is a “serious” or “very serious” problem in the city’s neighborhoods, according to 74 percent of residents, up from 64 percent a year ago. By an 11-to-1 margin, Philadelphians support the teen curfew, enacted by City Council last fall in an attempt to reduce youth violence.

Ask how they would rate the city as a place to live, 18 percent said excellent, 42 percent said good, 28 percent said only fair and 11 percent said poor.

As for whether they think Philadelphia is generally headed in the right direction, or if are things off track, 39 percent answered right direction while 42 percent said wrong direction. Sixteen percent said it's mixed.

All things considered, has the city gotten better or worse than it was five years ago? The answer, according to residents, was not positive. Just 23 percent said better, 35 percent said worse, while 37 percent said the same.

Philadelphians remain optimistic about the future, though. Asked whether the city will be a better or worse place to live five years from now, 59 percent said better, 21 percent said worse, and 7 percent said the same.

That may be, in part, due to their opinion of the mayor they just reelected for four more years. Sixty percent answered that they approve of the job Nutter is doing, while just 30 percent disapprove.

Joining "Good Day" on Tuesday morning to discuss the results of the Pew poll was Project Director Larry Eichel.