Poll: What do voters think about crime in the US?

(NewsNation) — A NewsNation and Decision Desk HQ poll of registered voters found crime was the second largest issue Americans are worried about, behind only inflation, and more than half of the respondents said they were at least somewhat worried about being the victim of a violent crime.

The survey of 1,000 nationwide registered voters conducted July 17 and 18 provided insights into the public’s perception of crime in the United States via an online panel. Margins of error vary per question because the number of people who answered each question is different (learn more about why margins of error matter here).

NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo will hold a “Crime in America” townhall in New York with live audiences in Dallas-Forth Worth and Chicago on at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 31. You can watch the townhall on the big screen, or on our website. Not sure how to find us? Use our ChannelFinder app to locate our channel on your TV.

See the full results of the poll below:

Question 1: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president? (Margin of Error 3.026%)

Strongly approve: 20.96
Somewhat approve: 25.49
Somewhat disapprove: 14.80
Strongly disapprove: 38.75

Question 2: Which of the following do you think is a bigger threat to the United States today? (Margin of Error 3.1%)

Russia: 28.30%
China: 47.14%
Iran: 0.79%
North Korea: 8.37%
Afghanistan: 0.92%
Other: 4.50%
Not Sure: 9.97%

Question 3: And how concerned are you about inflation? (Margin of Error 3.041%)

Very concerned: 60.14%
Somewhat concerned: 31.31%
Not too concerned: 7.56%
Not at all concerned: 0.99%

Question 4: Which do you think is a bigger problem facing the United States today: Inflation, unemployment, crime, or immigration? (Margin of Error 3.094%)

Inflation: 54.29%
Unemployment: 8.33%
Immigration: 17.97%
Crime: 19.4%

Question 5: Among the following, who would you say you trust the most to solve structural issues of crime in the US? (Margin of Error 2.337%)

The President of the United States: 14.46%
The US Department of Justice: 11.33%
The US Congress: 6.82%
State governments: 11.82%
Local governments: 12.12%
The police: 13.88%
Community leaders and advocacy groups: 7.62%
Something else: 4.86%
Not sure: 17.08%

Question 6: Which of the following would you say is the overall root cause of crime in your community? (Margin of Error 2.826%)

Unemployment: 9.08%
Drugs and substance abuse: 29.27%
Breakdown of the family unit: 16.82%
Systemic racism: 8.49%
Underfunding of law enforcement: 10.39%
Lack of adequate mental health and treatment programs: 11.64%
Something else: 6.01%
Not sure: 8.30%

Question 7: Among the following, which type of crime would you say you are most concerned about happening to you in your community? (Margin of Error 2.565%)

Physical assault: 11.43%
Murder: 13.21%
Online/phone scams: 11.94%
Armed robbery: 11.23%
Vehicle theft/ break-ins: 21.82%
Sexual assault: 4.84%
Hate crimes: 4.09%
Mass shootings: 14.43%
Something else: 7.01%

Question 8: Thinking about the U.S. as a whole, how would you describe the criminal justice system’s handling of crime? (Margin of Error 3.067%)

Too tough: 11.28%
About right: 20.81%
Not tough enough: 57.81%
Not sure: 10.10%

Question: 9 How confident are you in the ability of law enforcement to manage crime effectively and responsibly? (Margin of Error 3.056%)

Very confident: 17.76%
Somewhat confident: 41.17%
Not too confident: 31.22%
Not at all confident: 9.84%

Question 10: Do you feel that the laws covering the sale and possession of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now? (Margin of Error 3.072%)

They should be more strict: 57.27%
They should be less strict: 12.06%
They should be neither more or less strict: 25.20%
Not sure: 5.47%

Question 11: Do you or a member of your household keep a gun or guns in your home? (Margin of Error 3.014%)

Yes: 33.96%
No: 62.00%
Not sure: 4.04%

Question 12: And thinking about people who keep a gun or guns in their home, would you say that it makes their home more or less safe? (Margin of Error 3.092%)

More safe: 45.43%
Less safe: 16.02%
Neither more or less safe: 32.91%
Not sure: 5.64%

Question 13: Should retail employees be expected to intervene to stop shoplifters? (Margin of Error 3.089%)

Yes: 39.03%
No: 44.97%
Not sure: 16.00%

Question 14: Should employers be allowed to punish employees that intervene against shoplifters? (Margin of Error 2.783%)

Yes: 15.67%
No: 72.19%
Not sure: 12.14%

Question 15: Thinking about the community where you live, would you say there is more or less crime compared to a year ago? (Margin of Error 3.084%)

Much more crime: 18.56%
Somewhat more crime: 30.90%
Neither more or less crime: 44.16%
Somewhat less crime: 4.36%
Much less crime: 2.01%

Question 16: Over the last year, which of the following extra safety measures have you taken to protect yourself from crime? Select all that apply. (Margin of Error 3.056%)

Purchased a gun or guns: 12.44%
Purchased a security system for your home: 24.02%
Carried a defense device that is not a gun, such as mace or pepper spray: 18.01%
Stopped attending major public events: 19.63%
Attended a course on self-defense: 8.65%
Participated in a local crime prevention organization, like a neighborhood watch program: 7.76%
Adjusted your daily commute or local travel: 12.80%
Moved your place of residence to a safer area: 7.16%
Something else: 4.56%
I have not taken any extra measures: 41.1%

Question 17: How worried are you that you or someone in your family will be a victim of a violent crime? (Margin of Error 3.048%)

Very worried: 17.86%
Somewhat worried: 40.47%
Not too worried: 34.68%
Not at all worried: 7.00%

Question 18: Have you, or someone you know, been the victim of a crime in the past 12 months? (Margin of Error 3.015%)

I have personally been the victim of a crime: 10.78%
I have not, but know someone who has been a victim of a crime: 23.33%
Both myself and someone that I know have been the victim of a crime: 3.93%
No – no one I know has been the victim of a crime: 61.97%

Question 19: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? (Margin of Error 2.81%)

Strongly Favorable: 14.58%
Somewhat Favorable: 28.72%
Somewhat Unfavorable: 13.79%
Strongly Unfavorable: 16.26%
Not sure: 26.65%

Question 20: Overall, would you say that the country is on the right track or on the wrong track? (Margin of Error 2.97%)

Right track: 24.62%
Wrong track: 64.60%
Not sure: 10.78%

Question 21: Overall, would you say you are better or worse off financially than you were about a year ago? (Margin of Error 3.055%)

Better off: 26.53%
Worse off: 41.01%
Neither better nor worse off: 32.47%

Question 22: Thinking about other topics, if the election for the U.S. Congress in your district was held today, which of the following candidates would you most likely vote for? (Margin for Error 3.089%)

The Republican candidate: 44.83%
The Democratic candidate: 41.57%
A third party candidate: 8.64%
Would not vote: 4.97%

Question 23: What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If you’re currently enrolled in school, please indicate the highest degree you have received. (Margin of Error 2.925%)

Post-graduate degree: 20.04%
Bachelor’s degree: 33.23%
Some college or associate’s degree: 27.31%
High school diploma or less: 19.43%

Question 24: Which of the following would you say most accurately describes your political ideology? (Margin of Error 2.922%)