If you’re getting most of your news from CNN or the alphabet networks, you might be tempted to think that everything is coming up roses in America in 2023. Recently, MSNBC has been singing the praises of “Bidenomics” and talking about Biden’s brilliant handling of an economic recovery. In fact, they recently went so far as to claim that things are going so well that Joe Biden is virtually a shoo-in for a second term as President. But a recent poll from NewsNation and Decision Desk HQ shows that the nation as a whole does not share this opinion and most are not falling for the gaslighting. The number one concern of voters stubbornly remains inflation and the economy. And despite the best efforts of the mainstream media to play down what everyone can clearly see going on in the nation’s streets, crime is the second highest concern for Americans today. (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).

Some of the baseline questions in the poll didn’t produce particularly surprising results. Biden’s approval rating in this survey actually ticked up a bit, but he’s still underwater at 46/54. (Bobby Kennedy Jr. actually beats Biden at 42/29 with a lot of people who are still unsure.) People still believe that China is the greatest foreign threat to the United States (despite Biden’s recent efforts to kowtow to them) at 47 percent. Russia comes in second at 28. No other nation makes it out of single digits.

Meanwhile, when asked how concerned they are about inflation, a stunning 91 percent said they were either very or somewhat concerned. The number who said they were “not at all” concerned was less than one percent. (I assume those were all members of Congress who live off of the taxpayer’s dime and can engage in insider trading.)

In terms of “the biggest problem facing the United States, a majority (54%) said inflation. But coming in at numbers 2 and 3 were crime and immigration at 19 and 18 percent respectively. So much for the hope that people weren’t noticing the Biden border crisis and the deteriorating conditions in most of our major cities.

The survey asked what people believed was the root cause of skyrocketing crime rates. The answers to that one were rather scattershot, but a plurality of 29 percent said “drug and alcohol abuse.” The second most common answer was “breakdown of the family unit.” Any Republican running for office next year needs to take note of those answers and incorporate them into their platform.

A 58 percent majority said that our current criminal justice system is “not tough enough” in its handling of crime. This further demonstrates how out of touch Democrats are with their goals of defunding the police and emptying the jails. People are fearful and they want criminals locked up instead of being immediately dumped back out onto the streets. Did we really need a poll to tell us this? Additionally, a plurality of 48% said there was “more crime” in their own community compared to one year ago. Six percent said there was “less crime.”

The poll also touched on issues involving gun control, but the results seem to indicate some sort of disconnect in the public’s thinking. When asked if “laws covering the sale and possession of firearms” should be more or less strict, a significant majority (57/12) said they should be more strict. But at the same time, a plurality of 45% said that having a firearm in the home makes people “more safe” while only 16% said it made them “less safe.”

Respondents were asked about the generic ballot for Congress in 2024. The GOP came out on top by a slim margin, 45 to 42. What we can take away from this survey in general terms is that the White House’s attempts to claim that Biden’s policies are working and things are getting better are falling on deaf ears for a significant amount of the country. And the tireless efforts of the legacy media to paint a rosy picture are failing. People are neither blind nor deaf to what’s going on around them. And many still seek out alternative media sources to get their news. Whether or not this will translate to any sort of punishment at the ballot box for the Democrats and their failing liberal policies remains to be seen.