Category: Polls

Cal. Prop. 47 Fix Initiative Ahead Over 2/1

by · Aug 22, 2024 2:03 pm

U.Cal. Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies has a poll taken early this month on three initiatives on that state’s ballot. The press release is here. Proposition 36 is a measure to fix some of the problems resulting from 2014’s Proposition 47. The poll shows Prop. 36 ahead by 56-23 with 21% undecided.

A landslide win would send a strong signal that the state’s voters are waking up to the reality that the claims that going soft on crime actually improves public safety are nonsense.

Early polls showing an initiative ahead generally need to be regarded with caution, as the late breaks in voting tend to be toward “no,” but this is such a strong lead that this tendency may not matter. Continue reading . . .

Public Support for Tougher Criminal Justice Rebounds

by · Nov 16, 2023 9:48 pm

“In general, do you think the criminal justice system in this country is too tough, not tough enough or about right in its handling of crime?” Gallup has asked this question six times since 1992. Initially, 80% of respondents said not tough enough. By 2020, only 41% thought so, though that was still twice many as thought it was too tough. In the latest survey, though, a solid majority of 58% think the system is not tough enough, more than quadruple the number who think it is too tough. Click on the thumbnail for the full-size graph. Megan Brennan has this report for Gallup.

Continue reading . . .

Poll Paints Mixed Picture of Californian’s Views

by · Mar 2, 2023 2:12 pm

A Quinnipiac University poll of registered California voters was released yesterday.   While the survey was heavily focused on political views with questions about Governor Gavin Newsom running for president, which democrat should replace Senator Dianne Feinstein and how they feel about Vice President Kamala Harris, there were other responses that indicate discontent by voters of all political stripes regarding how state government is serving them.  Pollsters report a sample size of around 1,000 registered voters telephoned randomly, with respondents weighted to reflect the political and human demographics of the state.   Of great significance is what questions are asked, and whether there was built-in bias.  When asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in California, a whopping 57% were somewhat or very dissatisfied, including 32% of democrats and 63% of independents.  64% of respondents are opposed to giving prison inmates the right to vote, including almost half of democrats and 70% of independents.  A democrat-supported bill is currently moving through the California Legislature would allow inmate voting.

Continue reading . . .

Crime Near Top of Public Concerns

by · Oct 6, 2022 2:57 pm

In a representative democracy, the way a representative votes on an issue is determined not only by what position the voters favor but also by how important they think the issue is. The issues foremost in the public mind are those where a representative is least likely to go against the majority view of the voters. Further down the list, voters’ disagreement with a representative’s vote is less likely to change how they vote in the election. Representatives may feel more free to vote differently based on other factors, including the views of major contributors, impact on favorability of media coverage, or their own (possibly misguided) views of good policy.

Monmouth University has this poll, finding that crime has risen to number two on the voters’ priority list. Continue reading . . .

Chesa Boudin Probably Headed Out the Door

by · May 12, 2022 6:31 am

There is an active recall campaign against the radical DA of San Francisco, Chesa Boudin.  To his credit, Boudin, while running for office, didn’t make much of a secret about where his sympathies lay.  He was with the George Soros “criminals-are-victims” agenda from stem to stern.  His problem is that the reality of his tenure apparently is ringing a different bell with San Francisco voters than the high-sounding rhetoric of the campaign.  So now, according to the KRON poll, Boudin is in big, big trouble.

Continue reading . . .

Worry About Crime in U.S. at Highest Level Since 2016

by · Apr 7, 2022 9:29 am

Megan Brenan has this report for Gallup with the above title:

Americans’ concern about crime and violence in the U.S. has edged up in the past year, and for the first time since 2016, a majority (53%) say they personally worry a “great deal” about crime. Another 27% report they worry a “fair amount,” which places the issue near the top of the list of 14 national concerns — behind only inflation and the economy, and on par with hunger and homelessness.

Crime, policy, and politics have gone in a depressingly predictable cycle. The American people were pitched a bill of goods that going soft on crime could be done without increasing crime, and perhaps even lower it. Fueled by billionaire-funded campaigns and viral videos, they bought it, having forgotten the lessons of the last third of the twentieth century. Continue reading . . .

John Roberts, a Popular Leader

by · Dec 28, 2021 2:36 pm

Chief Justice John Roberts is the most popular of 11 national leaders the Gallup poll asked about, with a 60% approval rating.  (By contrast, at the bottom of the heap were five politicians, each with a rating below 45%.  In order:  VP Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell).

Why is that germane to a criminal law blog?  Because Roberts, despite occasional loud complaints by conservatives and praise by liberals, has been a pretty reliable vote in favor of law enforcement and the death penalty in particular.

Continue reading . . .

Does the Electorate Want More Prison or Less?

by · Dec 8, 2021 12:08 pm

With a hat-tip to Sentencing Law and Policy, I bring you this poll from the Pew Research Center, a center-left outfit that often does useful research.  The question it asked was whether respondents thought people convicted of crime spend too much, too little, or about the right amount of time in prison.  The results will not come as good news to those campaigning for “decarceration” (and thus, though they refuse to admit it, more grisly episodes like the Waukesha massacre).

Continue reading . . .