It’s probably no surprise to you to learn that Philadelphians are not super high on Philadelphia these days. In fact, according to the newest data released from A Greater Philadelphia, 55 percent of Democrats surveyed think the city is going in the wrong direction.
The most highly dissatisfied region of the city is one you also might expect: South Philly. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats surveyed in five zip codes in that region said the city is on the wrong track. Specifically, they are unhappy with City Council, councilmanic prerogative, schools and public safety. And they are not alone.
The data stems from a survey conducted in February by nationally recognized pollsters McLaughlin & Associates and Frederick Polls, as part of civic nonprofit A Greater Philadelphia’s fact-finding mission to inform their goal of building a citywide movement in support of higher expectations, more effective leadership and better governance.
The Citizen is partnering with A Greater Philadelphia to publish the results of the poll. See the first four analyses, about public safety and City Council, here; another on school choice here; one on the soda tax here, and another on councilmanic prerogative, here.
Poll analysis and results from A Greater Philadelphia
Among registered Democrats in the city, those living in South Philadelphia are the most dissatisfied with City Council, the most eager to end the practice of councilmanic prerogative, and the most dissatisfied with their neighborhood schools. They also are more likely to be concerned about crime and to say Philadelphia is on the wrong track than in all but one other region: the Northeast.
Even before Kenyatta Johnson’s mistrial, Philadelphians wanted to eliminate councilmanic prerogative, the practice whereby the rest of City Council defers to individual members for approval of construction projects within their districts.
Especially in South Philly, which is home to Johnson’s 2nd District. His trial in part focused on the ways Council exercises political control over development projects. The case ended in a mistrial, with jurors deadlocked and prosecutors vowing to retry.
Dissatisfaction with schools is especially high in South Philly.
The poll, conducted in February, was among registered Democrats. The area considered “South” consists of zip codes 19145, 19146, 19148, 19112 and the southernmost sliver of 19147.
Poll conducted on behalf of A Greater Philadelphia Feb. 14-17, 2022, among 800 registered Democratic voters by McLaughlin & Associates and Frederick Polls. Results are +/- 3.4% at a 95% confidence interval.
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The statue before it was boxed up. | Photo by nick-Philly / Wikimedia Commons
