U.S. public divided over whether people convicted of crimes spend too much or too little time in prison
Americans are closely divided over whether people convicted of crimes spend too much, too little or about the right amount of time in prison.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Americans are closely divided over whether people convicted of crimes spend too much, too little or about the right amount of time in prison.
65% of Americans say that people being too easily offended is a major problem; 53% say the same about people saying offensive things to others.
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say increased attention to the history of slavery and racism is bad for the country.
Democrats hold the edge on many issues, but more Americans agree with Republicans on the economy, crime and immigration. Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about 81% saying it is a very big problem.
Most U.S. adults say President Joe Biden (65%) and Republican leaders in Congress (61%) will be unsuccessful getting their agendas enacted in the next two years; only about a third say the president and GOP leaders will be successful. Republicans are less confident than Democrats in midterm vote counts – but more confident than they were after the 2020 election.
Americans see capitalism as giving people more opportunity and more freedom than socialism, while they see socialism as more likely to meet people’s basic needs, though these perceptions differ significantly by party. Many Democrats say socialism meets people’s basic needs; Republicans say it restricts individual freedoms.
As Election Day approaches, here’s a look at voters’ issue priorities, based mainly on a Pew Research Center survey conducted Oct. 10-16.
In states where abortion is prohibited, the share of people who say access to abortion should be easier has increased since August 2019. A majority of residents in those states say it would be difficult to get an abortion in the area where they live today, up 21 points from four years ago.
White eligible voters were somewhat more likely to say they were contacted than Black, Hispanic or English-speaking Asian eligible voters.
Nearly eight-in-ten U.S. adults (78%) say there is some risk an innocent person will be put to death, and 63% say the death penalty does not deter people from committing serious crimes.
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