Poll: Philadelphians are more pessimistic than they have been in over a decade

Researchers found that 63% of people polled believe that Philadelphia is on the wrong track, with gun violence receiving the lion's share of the blame.

PHILADELPHIA - A new poll from the Pew Research Center found that Philadelphia residents are the most pessimistic they have been in over a decade.

Researchers found that 63% of people polled believe that Philadelphia is on the wrong track, with gun violence receiving the lion's share of the blame.

According to the latest data from the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 127 homicides in the city this year which outpaces a historically bloody 2021.

"A lot of evidence that crime has gone up, and it makes people very frustrated, very scared, and very at a loss of what to do about it," Attorney and CEO of Advocate To Win Heather Hansen said.

U.S. Attorney Arbittier Williams discusses ‘All Hands On Deck’ initiative one year after launch

U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams stopped by Good Day Philadelphia to discuss the ‘All Hands on Deck’ initiative that focused local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts on stopping gun violence.

She believes that the COVID-19 pandemic secluded people from societal norms of behaving with courtesy, as evident by a violence spike in hospitals and airplanes.

"It’s in large part because we’ve forgotten how to be patient, how to wait, how to interact in public," Hansen said.

Philadelphians exhausted and frightened by the constant threat of violence, drugs and other street crimes would like to see more police, according to the poll.

"I’m just concerned," said Jeff Benson, who has a daughter that lives in Philadelphia. "I get the alerts that pop up in the morning on my phone, ‘13-year-old shot and killed’ it’s frightening."

8th District Councilwoman Cindy Bass called on Mayor Jim Kenney's administration to provide a more robust plan to address violence.