Just 20 percent of New York City voters approved of Mayor Eric Adams’s job performance in a poll released Wednesday, and more than half said he should resign, demonstrating that he faces a daunting path to re-election this year.
Mr. Adams’s approval rating in the poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, was the lowest for any New York City mayor since the university began surveying the city’s registered voters nearly 30 years ago. It represented a significant drop from the previous low of 28 percent that Mr. Adams, a Democrat, received in the poll in December 2023.
The poll found broad dissatisfaction with the mayor, including from members of his own party. Sixty-seven percent of registered voters, and 78 percent of registered Democrats, disapproved of his job performance, and 56 percent of voters and 72 percent of Democrats said he should resign. Only 18 percent of voters said the mayor, who faces federal corruption charges, was honest and trustworthy.
And the poll found that 72 percent of voters were either very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the direction of the city, traditionally an indicator of unhappiness with the incumbent mayor.
Mr. Adams’s poll numbers were low even before he was indicted last year on five counts. Since then, his situation has grown even more complicated.
The Justice Department moved in recent weeks to dismiss the corruption charges against Mr. Adams so that he could assist with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned rather than comply, asserting that Mr. Adams had agreed to a quid pro quo with the Justice Department.
Nearly three-quarters of voters polled, 73 percent, said they were closely following the developments around Mr. Adams’s case, and 71 percent said they believed he had acted illegally or unethically.
“This is something deeper. The mayor was already unpopular and his numbers worsened,” said Mary Snow, an assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll. “This story has become much bigger than New York City, because it involves the Trump administration, and all of that is weighing on the mayor’s numbers.”
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for Mr. Adams, said the mayor was focused on increasing jobs, improving child care and producing housing.
“The mayor ran to make our city safer and more affordable, and we’re doing that every day — the facts do not lie,” Ms. Mamelak Altus said. “Mayor Adams and his administration will continue to deliver for New Yorkers every day as we make our city the best place to raise a family.”
The poll surveyed nearly 1,300 self-identified registered New York City voters from Feb. 27 to March 3 with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
It found Mr. Adams running a distant second among registered Democrats in the mayoral primary, behind former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who officially entered the race over the weekend. Mr. Cuomo earned the support of 31 percent of Democrats, while Mr. Adams had 11 percent.
Several other candidates were clustered not far behind him: State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani came in at 8 percent; Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate — who has not announced a campaign — had 7 percent; Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, earned 6 percent; and Brad Lander, the current comptroller, had 5 percent.
Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the City Council who is considering a run, came in at 4 percent, as did Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens. Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, and Michael Blake, a former state assemblyman, each polled at 1 percent. Sixteen percent of voters said they were undecided, with just under four months to go before the June 24 primary.
Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Lander, said the poll clearly showed that New Yorkers were dissatisfied with Mr. Adams. She questioned whether Mr. Cuomo was the answer, given that he resigned in disgrace after allegations of sexual harassment. Mr. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing.
“Eric Adams can’t lead us through this time of uncertainty and anxiety under the Trump administration,” Ms. Pekec said. “People want someone who is free of scandal who can lead the city like an adult.”
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who raised the most money in a recent reporting period, said his poll numbers showed that his campaign “is the best path for progressives to stop Andrew Cuomo from serving Eric Adams’s second term.”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said, “We generally don’t comment on polls but New Yorkers know that Andrew Cuomo fights for them and he has the experience and record needed to help save this city in crisis.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Adams was in Washington, D.C., testifying before the House Oversight Committee about New York’s status as a sanctuary city. At least two lawmakers questioned him during the hearing about whether he had agreed to a quid pro quo with the Trump administration.
The poll showed that New Yorkers were not happy with how President Trump has inserted himself into the city’s affairs. While 54 percent of voters said they opposed congestion pricing, 49 percent, a plurality, disagreed with the president’s attempt to end the program.
Though the mayor has refrained from criticizing Mr. Trump publicly, 56 percent of voters polled said they wanted him to stand up to the president on the issue of undocumented immigrants.
Mr. Adams has met with the administration’s border czar and said he would sign an executive order to allow federal immigration agents back into the Rikers Island jail complex.
Late last week, a majority of commissioners on New York City’s Commission on Gender Equity, who were appointed by Mr. Adams, called on him to resign if he did not produce a plan to defend immigrants and transgender New Yorkers from the administration’s policies.
“Trump is unpopular,” Ms. Snow said, “and New Yorkers don’t want him stepping in.”
The poll found that some of the mayor’s strongest support actually comes from Republicans, with 35 percent approving of how he is handling his job.
Mr. Adams and his team had inquired about his competing in the Republican primary, but he has insisted that he is running for re-election as a Democrat.