A new survey finds that while a majority of Americans have a positive outlook on criminal justice jobs in general, fewer are satisfied with the role Vice President Harris has held so far.
A YouGov poll found that Released ThursdayAccording to the survey, respondents most highly valued forensic pathologists (78%), social workers (71%), police officers (68%) and highway patrol officers (63%). Police dogs and jurors were also viewed more favorably, with 76% and 69% approval, respectively.
The poll found that previous jobs held by the vice president, such as attorney general and district attorney, drew less enthusiastic support, and the more politically charged positions within the criminal justice system all received less than 60% approval.
Harris, who emerged as the leading Democratic presidential candidate after President Biden announced his retirement late last month, began her career as a prosecutor, a job that recent polls show is favorably viewed by only 51% of Americans.
She was elected San Francisco’s district attorney (DA) in 2004 and served in that position until 2011. Survey respondents viewed DAs more highly than prosecutors, with a favorable rating of 53 percent.
In 2011, Harris became California’s attorney general, a career path that only 48% of Americans view positively. She served in that position until 2017, when she ran for the U.S. Senate, where she was elected in the 2016 primary to replace former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
The only jobs in criminal justice viewed less favorably by the poll’s participants were CIA agents (47%) and parking enforcement officers (46%).
Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris has sought to draw on her experience as a prosecutor: In a recent survey, 57% of Democrats said she would be fair as a prosecutor, while 48% said she would be tough on crime.
The survey found that about 50% of Republicans rated her criminal justice record as incompetent, 49% said she is corrupt and 43% rated her as inconsistent.
The YouGov poll was based on two surveys: the first was conducted from July 31 to August 4, and the second from August 6 to 9. Approximately 2,232 US adults were surveyed, with a margin of error for the overall sample of approximately 3 percentage points.
