Most Americans have a positive outlook on jobs in the criminal justice realm as a whole, but less were satisfied with the roles Vice President Harris has previously held, a new survey found.
The YouGov poll, released Thursday, found that respondents held the highest regard for forensic scientists (78 percent), social workers (71 percent), police officers (68 percent) and highway patrol officers (63 percent). Police dogs and juries were also viewed more positively — bringing in 76 percent and 69 percent support respectively.
The professions the vice president has held — including attorney general and district attorney — did not garner as much enthusiasm, per the poll. The more-political positions within the criminal justice system all brought in less than 60 percent support.
Harris, who rose to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket late last month, after President Biden announced he would step aside, kickstarted her career as a prosecuting attorney. The job, according to the recent survey, is one only 51 percent of Americans have a favorable view of.
She was elected San Francisco’s district attorney (DA) in 2004 — a job she held until 2011. Survey respondents held a higher regard for DAs than prosecutors, garnering a 53 percent favorability rating.
In 2011, Harris was elevated to California attorney general, a career path that only 48 percent of Americans viewed in a positive light. She held that role until 2017, when she joined the Senate, winning a primary in 2016 to replace former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
The only positions in the criminal justice arena that were viewed in a less positive light were CIA agents, at 47 percent, and parking enforcement officers, at 46 percent, the poll found.
Since taking over as the Democratic nominee, Harris has leaned into her previous experience as a prosecutor. The recent survey found that 57 percent of Democrats said she was fair as a prosecutor and 48 percent said she was tough on crime.
About 50 percent of Republicans described her career in criminal justice as ineffective, 49 percent said she was corrupt, and 43 percent wrote her off as inconsistent, per the survey.
The YouGov poll was conducted based on two surveys, the first one from July 31 to Aug. 4, and the second from Aug 6-9. Roughly 2,232 U.S. adults were polled, and the margin of error for the overall sample was about 3 percentage points.