A fresh poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos showed that most Americans see the raging COVID-19 pandemic as the main electoral issue, not law and order.
President Donald Trump and his campaign team have tried to make civil unrest a central theme of his re-election campaign.
But the poll said most Americans are not hoodwinked, as they do not see crime as a major problem confronting the nation.
A majority also remain sympathetic to anti-racism protests.
The result is bad news for Trump. As at Wednesday, America had recorded 6,290,436 COVID-19 cases and close to 190,000 deaths.
The Aug. 31-Sept. 1 national opinion poll showed that 40% of registered voters support Trump, a Republican, compared with 47% who said they will vote for his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
Biden’s lead is largely unchanged over the past three weeks during which both parties held conventions to nominate their candidates Trump and Biden for the presidency.
Trailing Biden in most national opinion polls since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus this year, Trump has sought to change the subject from the pandemic, blaming Black Lives Matters protesters for violence in the cities and accusing Biden of being weak on crime.
But the poll showed the majority — 78% — remain “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the coronavirus.
Nearly 60% said Trump is at least partly responsible for the protracted school and business closures due to the virus, as well as for the high number of coronavirus cases in the United States.
More than 6 million Americans have been infected with the virus, more people than in any other country.
By contrast, most Americans do not see crime as a major priority and do not think it is increasing in their communities, the poll showed.
Only about 8% of American adults listed crime as a top priority for the country, compared with 30% who said it was the economy or jobs, and 16% who said it was the healthcare system.
And 62% of registered voters, including 62% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans, said crime was not increasing in their communities
According to the poll, 53% of American adults said they remain sympathetic to people out protesting against racial inequality, nearly unchanged from 52% in a similar poll that ran in late July. (AFP)
