# Most Americans oppose jail time for misdemeanor crimes

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/most-americans-oppose-jail-time-for-misdemeanor-crimes/

> Indexed question in Politics.

## Reading

Just over half of Americans (54%) say people should not be sentenced to jail time for misdemeanor crimes, according to an April 2023 Verasight survey.

More than a quarter (27%) think jail sentences are warranted for misdemeanors, while 19% say they don't know.

## Topline

Should people be sentenced to jail time for misdemeanor crimes?

Most Americans oppose jail time for misdemeanor crimes.

- No: 53.6%
- Yes: 27.4%
- Don’t know: 19.0%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: United States adults who completed both waves of the survey
- Field dates: 2023-04-19 → 2023-04-27
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
- Module: MPSA 2023 Omnibus Survey #2023-032
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co#q5-jail-time-for-misdemeanor-crimes](https://verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co#q5-jail-time-for-misdemeanor-crimes)

## Citation

MPSA 2023 Omnibus Survey #2023-032, fielded April 19-27, 2023, N=1,000 United States adults who completed both waves of the survey, +/- 3.6%.

Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co#q5-jail-time-for-misdemeanor-crimes](https://verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co#q5-jail-time-for-misdemeanor-crimes)