Another poll is showing that a majority of New Yorkers would be in
favor of a Walmart store opening in the city, NY1 reported. According
to a Marist poll 64 percent of adults in the city support the idea,
while 31 percent oppose it. But residents were split when asked how
they would feel about a Walmart store opening in their neighborhood. Thirty
percent of those polled said it would improve their neighborhood; 25
percent said a Walmart would make the neighborhood worse; and nearly
half said it would make no difference at all.
The borough with the most
residents in favor was the Bronx, while only a little more than half
of Manhattan residents expressed support for the idea. Three quarters
of New Yorkers said they would be likely or very likely to shop at a Walmart
store, while about one in four said they would be not very likely or
not at all likely to do so. A previous Quinnipiac poll at
the end of July also found a majority of residents supportive of a
Wallmart store. Since then, the number of people who say they would shop at a Walmart store has increased to three quarters from 69 percent.
Walmart has actively expressed interest in opening a store in the
city, and reportedly has had its eye on East New York at Related’s Gateway II development site, where it has been met with some community opposition. Walmart has also stepped
up funding of local causes in the city.[NY1]