Mayor Cherelle Parker polls favorably despite public safety concerns
Swayed by declines in gun violence and faith in the Parker administration, 59% of Philadelphians say the city is headed in the right direction, per a Pew Charitable Trusts poll released Wednesday.
Why it matters: That positive outlook is a change-up from recent years — a 23% improvement from 2022.
The big picture: Mayor Cherelle Parker's approval rating was 63% entering her second year in office — one of the highest achieved by an incumbent mayor since 2009, per the report.
Almost half of the nearly 2,300 residents polled between January and March rated her handling of public safety as "good" or "excellent," per the survey.
About a third believe Parker can deliver on her pledge to make the city greener and cleaner.
Yes, but: Fewer are hopeful that her administration can tackle more entrenched issues, such as the opioid crisis in Kensington.
36% of people polled believe her actions addressing the city's drug issues will make "no real difference."
Zoom in: That bubbling optimism wasn't shared by North Philly and the River Wards residents, where nearly half of those polled from both areas believe the city is on the wrong track.
State of play: Despite a stark reduction in homicides last year, 61% of residents still cited public safety as their top concern this year. It's a drop from 70% in 2022, a year after violent crime hit a record high.
More than half of Philadelphians reported hearing gunshots in their neighborhood, down from 65% in 2022.
Poverty and homelessness were the city's No. 2 issue, followed by affordable housing and cost of living.
By the numbers: Fewer than half of Philadelphians view gun violence as getting worse, a steep drop from 85% in 2022.
But only 38% believed homicides had dropped over the last year, and young people between 18 and 29 years old were most likely to think the number of homicides had increased.
The fine print: SSRS, an independent research company in Glen Mills, conducted the poll for Pew with a margin of error of ±2.7%.
Between the lines: More than half of Philadelphians say they felt "completely" or "pretty" safe in their neighborhoods, compared with 44% in 2022.
Philly's Asian residents felt the least safe of all groups, which Pew said was notable because it was the first time the group's sample size was big enough to analyze their responses.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Support for renewables shrinks as fossil fuel interest grows
Support for renewables shrinks as fossil fuel interest grows Republicans and Democrats alike are less likely to support renewable energy than they were five years ago, according to a survey released June 5 by the Pew Research Center. Floodlight examines the survey results, which mirror growing pockets of opposition to solar farms, reignited political support for coal plants and moves by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to kill federally funded clean energy projects. This shift in opinion dates back to when Democratic President Joe Biden took office, said Brian Kennedy, Pew senior researcher and one of the study's authors. "This isn't a new trend," he said. Still, Kenneth Gillingham, professor of environmental and energy economics at the Yale School of the Environment, was surprised. "I see this shift … as a successful effort to link climate change and renewable energy to broader culture war issues," Gillingham said. He added that in the past, "prominent" Republicans supported renewables and sought solutions to climate change, but those stances could now be seen as "disloyal" to Trump. The survey of 5,085 U.S. adults taken April 28 to May 4 revealed that while 79% of Americans favored expanding wind and solar production in 2020, that number has dropped to 60%. And 39% of Americans today support expansion of oil, coal and natural gas - almost double the 20% that supported it in 2020. Combustion of fossil fuels - in transportation, energy generation and industrial production - is the No. 1 cause of climate change. Much of the change in opinion is driven by Republicans, whose support of oil and gas grew from 35% in 2020 to 67% today. But Democrats also indicated less support for renewable energy and more for fossil fuels than five years ago. While many results reflect Trump's policies opposing most renewables and boosting fossil fuels, Pew found a few notable exceptions: 69% of all respondents favor offshore wind - a technology Trump has specifically targeted. Both Democrats and Republicans indicated stronger support for nuclear power, with Republicans' favorable opinions increasing from 53% in 2020 to 69% in 2025. Democrats' support rose from 37% to 52%. The Trump administration has signaled support for a nuclear renaissance, despite its high cost. There were wide partisan splits on several topics. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would scale back environmental regulations. Pew asked whether it was possible to do that and still protect air and water quality: 77% of Republicans said yes and 67% of Democrats said no. Pew didn't ask the respondents why their attitudes have shifted. But Kennedy said in Pew's past surveys, Republicans have expressed concern about the economic impacts of climate change policies and transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Mike Murphy, a Republican consultant and electric vehicle backer, said when the environmental benefits of clean technologies are touted, it polarizes Republicans. Instead, Murphy said messages should be about pocketbook issues - like lower fuel costs - and jobs. "It's hard for pro-climate people to understand," said Murphy, who has advised dozens of state and national GOP campaigns including John McCain's 2008 presidential bid. "(They think) we just need to shout louder and hit people over the head about climate, climate, climate. The key is you want to talk about jobs and national security and other events that naturally resonate a lot more with right-of-center people." That's what Murphy's groups, the EV Politics Project and the American EV Jobs Alliance, are trying to do to depoliticize electric vehicles. "Whenever electric cars are seen through a climate lens," Murphy said, "their appeal narrows." It's a strategy also being used by the Electrification Coalition, a left-of-center pro-EV group. Ben Prochazka, the coalition's executive director, echoed Murphy's strategy, adding that EVs have "become overly politicized and caught in the culture wars, impacting markets and ultimately hurting our ability to realize their many benefits for all Americans." Prochazka noted that once introduced to EVs, consumers support them: "EV drivers love their vehicles, with more than eight out of ten reporting that their next car will also be electric." Perhaps those practical messages are getting through. In the Pew survey, electric vehicles were the one item that saw an uptick in support - 4 percentage points in the past year. But popular support might not be enough to stop Congress from killing a $7,500 electric vehicle credit, which Murphy said would be "policy disaster." Republicans, he said, are in a "real squeeze," because "they don't have enough money for the tax cuts the president has promised." Murphy said: "It's easier for Republicans to cut Biden electric cars … than it is for them to cut more Medicaid." Gillingham is still optimistic that solar, wind and other greenhouse gas-reducing technologies will move forward - because they are the cheapest. "The continued decline in the price of renewable energy and battery technologies, as well as other new technologies, is a reason to continue to have hope that the worst impacts of climate change can be addressed," he said. Published by Canary Media, Renewable Energy World Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action. This story was produced by Floodlight and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
JD Vance heads to Los Angeles to meet troops deployed against protesters
Protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement turned violent earlier this month. Vice President JD Vance is heading to Los Angeles to meet troops deployed to quell protests against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions. Vance's trip on June 20 is the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to a city that has become the epicenter of resistance against a White House campaign to deport millions of immigrants from the country. A brief issued Friday by the vice president's office said he will tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center and a Federal Mobile Command Center in Los Angeles. Vance, a former Marine, is scheduled to meet with leadership and Marines and deliver brief remarks. Protests against ICE raids erupted in Los Angeles in early June. Nationwide "No Kings" protests against Trump's aggressive expansion of executive power occurred on June 14 in cities across the country A small minority of protesters in Los Angeles violently attacked federal law enforcement, and President Donald Trump responded by deploying the California National Guard, despite objections by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Democrat-led city is home to millions of immigrants and is a melting pot of Latino, Asian and other cultures. More: Trump using National Guard for deportation work could go into 'uncharted territory' Some 4.2 million people, or nearly a third of the 13 million residents of greater Los Angeles, are foreign-born, according to a Migration Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census data.
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Miami Herald
South Korea says defense spending ‘very high' compared to U.S. allies
SEOUL, June 20 (UPI) -- South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday that its defense spending as a share of gross domestic product is already "very high" compared to other U.S. allies, as Washington calls for NATO members and Asian countries to increase their military budgets. "Among major U.S. allies of the United States, South Korea has a very high ratio of defense spending to GDP," the ministry said in a message to reporters. "We have continuously increased our defense budget in consideration of the serious security situation, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats." "South Korea will continue to make efforts to secure the capabilities and posture necessary for the defense of the Korean Peninsula and peace and stability in the region," the ministry added. In 2024, South Korea spent $47.6 billion, or 2.6% of GDP, on defense, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That share is higher than Britain's 2.3%, France's 2.1%, Germany's 1.9% and Japan's 1.4%. Seoul's statement suggested concerns over remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this week calling for a "new standard" for allies in NATO and Asia to spend 5% of GDP on defense. "We expect NATO allies to commit to spending 5% of GDP on defense or defense-related investment," Hegseth said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday. "We now have a new standard for ally defense spending that all of our allies around the world, including in Asia, should move to," Hegseth said. "It's only fair that our allies and partners do their part. We cannot want their security more than they do." Hegseth also called for Asian countries to increase their spending in remarks at a defense forum in Singapore last month. "It doesn't make sense for countries in Europe to [spend 5% of GDP] while key allies in Asia spend less on defense in the face of an even more formidable threat, not to mention North Korea," he said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. The defense spending issue looks to be a potentially contentious topic at next week's NATO Summit in The Hague. NATO countries committed to a goal of 2% of GDP in 2014, which two-thirds have reached, but U.S. President Donald Trump has long called for an increase and has been demanding the 5% figure since his reelection. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last week he expected the allies to agree to the 5% target. "It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance," he said in a speech at Chatham House in London. However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pushed back on the proposal, which must be agreed to unanimously, in a letter to Rutte this week. "For Spain, committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive," Sanchez wrote Thursday, according to El Pais. "It would move Spain away from optimal spending and would hinder the EU's efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem." South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae Myung has not confirmed whether he will attend the NATO Summit, which will be held on June 24-25. His office had anticipated a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of last week's Group of Seven meeting to discuss tariffs and defense cost-sharing issues, but the U.S. president departed early. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
