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Poll Finds Mixed Feelings on Wal-Mart Moving Into NYC

Poll Finds Mixed Feelings on Wal-Mart Moving Into NYC

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — More than six in 10 New York City residents say they would welcome Wal-Mart to their neighborhood, although support in the outer boroughs was stronger than in Manhattan, according to results of a poll by Marist College here released Friday.

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — More than six in 10 New York City residents say they would welcome Wal-Mart to their neighborhood, although support in the outer boroughs was stronger than in Manhattan, according to results of a poll by Marist College here released Friday.

Support for Wal-Mart among Manhattanites was 56%, according to the survey of 808 adults conducted in late July. This compared to 73% in the Bronx, 65% in Brooklyn and 64% in Queens and Staten Island. Women — 68% — are slightly more likely than men (60%) to support opening a Wal-Mart in their area, the poll showed.

Around 30% of those polled said they felt Wal-Mart would make their neighborhood a better place to live, while 25% said Wal-Mart would make their neighborhood worse. The plurality — 45% — said it would make no difference.

Recent polling by Quinnipiac University indicated that New Yorkers’ attitudes about Wal-Mart were softening. The retailer is making an effort to get noticed in the city, where it has yet to open a store. Some city residents this week received a mailing from the retailer touting its sustainability and local sourcing efforts, stating, “Wal-Mart has a lot to offer the Big Apple: jobs, lower prices, access to healthy food and a dedicated commitment to a sustainable future.”

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