by Kent Scheidegger · May 2, 2023 10:28 am
Gallup has released its latest poll asking the open-ended question, “What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?” Lydia Saad of Gallup has this report. Government leadership and economic issues continue to top the list, but the sharpest changes from the previous poll were in the numbers naming crime or guns as the top issue. Continue reading . . .
by Michael Rushford · 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.
by Kent Scheidegger · Dec 29, 2022 9:54 am
Santa Monica, California is deeply left-wing territory. But even there, people may be waking up from the mass delusion that drastically reducing the consequences of committing crimes is a good idea. The Santa Monica Lookout, an online news source formed after the local newspaper collapsed, recently reported a year-end poll, including a question on crime. Continue reading . . .
by Kent Scheidegger · 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 . . .
by Bill Otis · 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.
by Kent Scheidegger · 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 . . .
by Bill Otis · 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.
by Bill Otis · 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).
by Bill Otis · Nov 18, 2021 1:14 pm
Gallup has two contrasting polls out today. One shows President Biden’s approval rating at 42%. On crime, it’s lower than that (39% approval to 57% disapproval); perhaps citizens are not real thrilled with his Attorney General’s denominating parents as “domestic terrorists” if they voice dissent at school board meetings.
Gallup’s other news release is about its annual death penalty poll, showing approval at 54%, which, Gallup notes, “is essentially unchanged from readings over the past four years…”
by Bill Otis · Oct 30, 2021 6:14 pm
The headline in today’s Washington Post story is: “In a setback for Black Lives Matter, mayoral campaigns shift to ‘law and order’.”
Yes, it’s all true. When violent crime surges, the public demands protection. Who woulda thunk it?
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