The majority of US voters feel the country is headed “off on the wrong track” — citing economic conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in crime, according to a new poll.
Some 56 percent of respondents in a poll commissioned by NewsNation said the country is headed “off on the wrong track” compared to 34 percent who feel the US is going in the “right direction.”
The new poll largely gauged Americans’ thoughts on crime amid the holiday season.
Forty-eight percent of the 1,166 voters questioned last week said they feel less safe when shopping as a result of smash-and-grab thefts, which have plagued Southern California and dominated news headlines in recent months.
Interviewees were also questioned on the use of bail, another hot button and politically divisive issue in the country.
Just 21 percent of respondents said retail theft suspects should be released without bail, while 79 percent said they should not, according to the poll.
Current laws and sentencing guidelines in America are too soft, according to 63 percent of voters, and 86 percent of respondents believe crime is a problem nationally, the poll says.
Thirty-seven percent of those polled believe lawmakers are doing a sufficient job addressing crime compared to 49 percent of respondents who disapprove of the work their lawmakers are doing to address the issue.
Younger respondents, those aged 18 to 35, were more approving of their lawmakers than their older counterparts, according to the poll.
The adoption of stricter criminal laws are favored as a way to combat crime by 42 percent of those older than 55. Just 25 percent of respondents aged 18 to 35 favor the same solution.