Trump's campaign in danger as most Americans see coronavirus, not crime as top issue: Poll

United States President Donald Trump has made crime and recent civil disturbances in the country a prime focus for his reelection campaign in the upcoming November presidential elections. 

But a new poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos has found that majority of Americans do not perceive crime as the primary problem and are actually sympathetic towards the ongoing protests against systemic racism.

"Very" concerned

The poll found that 78 per cent Americans are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus. Almost 60 per cent respondents said that Trump was partly responsible for the spread of the virus, along with the business closures that came with it. 

Over 6 million Americans have been infected with the virus, a figure higher than elsewhere in the world.

Majority of the Americans do not perceive crime as their primary concern and do not see it increasing in their communities, according to the poll.

Also read: 'Police did an incredible job': Trump cuts off Black pastors when asked about police violence

Only 8 per cent American adults listed crime as the primary concern for the country, while 30 per cent said it was the economy or jobs, while 16 per cent said it was the healthcare system.

62 per cent voters, including 62 per cent Democrats and 65 per cent Republicans said that crime was not increasing in their communities.

Additionally, 53 per cent respondents claimed they were sympathetic to the protesters, up by 1 per cent from July.

Protests have erupted in various parts after police shot down a black man in Wisconsin. 

“No one will be safe in Biden’s America,” Trump said last week at the Republican national convention, while accusing Biden of attempting to defund the police.

Online poll

The poll was conducted online throughout the US and recorded responses from 1,335 adults - 551 Democrats and 523 Republicans.

The poll, which was conducted on August 31 and September 1 revealed that 40 per cent of the voters extended support to the incumbent president, while 47 per cent said that they would vote for Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic opponent.

Also read: 'Fake news, there were no mini-strokes': Trump lashes out over health reports

Over the last three weeks, Biden’s edge over Trump has remained unchanged, even as both the parties conducted conventions officially nominating their presidential candidates.

Over 180,000 Americans have lost their lives to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and Trump has tried to frame his election campaign around the Black Lives Matter protests instead of his handling of the virus.

Trump has accused Biden of being weak on crime and has blamed protesters for violence across American cities