NEW YORK - Mayor Eric Adams of New York City is grappling with a historic low job approval rating as he contends with political fallout from the migrant crisis and an ongoing FBI investigation into his campaign, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

The Quinnipiac University survey, conducted between November 30 and this past Monday, gauged the opinions of 1,297 registered voters in the city. It revealed that 58% of those polled disapprove of Mayor Adams' performance as the city's chief executive. In contrast, only 28% of voters approve of his job performance, marking the lowest approval rating for a mayor in a Quinnipiac survey since the university began polling New Yorkers in 1996.

Before Adams, the previous record for the lowest approval rating in a Quinnipiac poll was negative 31%-60% for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in July 2003. In Quinnipiac's last poll released in February, Adams received a negative 37%-43% approval rating, indicating a further decline in his standing with voters.

The survey attributed Adams' historically abysmal rating to voters' negative view of his push for deep city government budget cuts, his handling of the migrant crisis, homelessness, education, and public safety, which is considered his signature issue. Interestingly, 60% of those polled disapproved of his public safety agenda. The poll also found that 54% of respondents do not consider him honest and trustworthy, compared to 32% who do.

Registered Republicans, in particular, view Adams' performance unfavorably. However, even among registered Democrats, Adams received a negative 35%-49% approval rating.

The Quinnipiac poll comes at a challenging time for Adams, as he faces an FBI investigation into allegations of illegal campaign financing by the Turkish government and an accusation of sexual assault made by a former colleague from the Transit Police Department. While Adams denies the assault claim and has not been accused of wrongdoing in the FBI probe, these two issues are impacting how voters perceive him, the poll suggests.

Regarding the FBI investigation, 22% of voters believe Adams did something illegal, while 30% believe he acted unethically but not illegally. Only 20% of respondents believe he did nothing wrong. As for the sexual assault allegation from 1993, 32% of those surveyed doubt Adams' denial, while 35% believe he is telling the truth.

Mary Snow, a poll assistant director at Quinnipiac University, stated, "There's no good news for Mayor Adams in this poll. Not only are voters giving him poor grades on the job he's doing at City Hall, but their views on his character have also diminished."

The negative poll results for Adams coincide with a growing number of progressive Democrats, including former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, considering primary challenges against the mayor in the 2025 election.

The only group of voters that gave Adams a net positive rating in the poll was Black New Yorkers, with a 48%-38% approval-disapproval ratio.

In response to the poll, Fabien Levy, Adams' deputy mayor of communications, downplayed the negative findings, stating that "incorrect polls come out every day." Levy touted the decrease in crime, increase in employment, and the administration's efforts to boost the economy. However, NYPD data indicates that certain crime categories, such as grand auto larcenies, have seen a significant increase.

However, the sentiment among respondents contradicts Levy's statements. Only 4% of those surveyed expressed being "very satisfied" with the current state of affairs in New York City.

The poll also revealed widespread dissatisfaction with Adams' management of the city budget and homelessness. Just 22% of voters approved of his handling of city spending, while 66% disapproved. Adams has been slashing the budgets of various municipal agencies, including the NYPD, to allocate funds for housing and services for newly arrived migrants.

Regarding homelessness, a staggering 72% of voters disapproved of Adams' approach, while only 22% approved. One of his main initiatives to address homelessness involves involuntarily hospitalizing those deemed a danger to themselves.

Furthermore, 55% of respondents expressed that they do not perceive Adams as having strong leadership qualities, while 40% believed otherwise.

As Mayor Adams faces these challenges and a city grappling with budget cuts, the migrant crisis, and public dissatisfaction, it remains to be seen how he will navigate his mayoralty and regain the trust and approval of New Yorkers.