Forty-two percent (42%) of all voters say New York's subways would be safer if more people like Daniel Penny were riding them. Half as many (22%) say the subways would be safer if more people like Daniel Penny were in jail.

However, most voters know little or nothing about what happened. Just 41% know both that the man subdued by Daniel Penny on a New York subway died and that Daniel Penny was recently acquitted. Among those voters with accurate knowledge of the incident, there is significantly more support for Penny. Sixty-one percent (61%) of them say subways would be safer with more Daniel Pennys, and 18% take the opposite view.

Among all voters, 31% say that Daniel Penny is a hero, while just 12% say he is a villain.

Among those voters with accurate knowledge of the incident, 47% say Penny is a hero and 14% see him as a villain. Another 32% say neither label applies and 7% are not sure.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently made controversial statements expressing that subway riders should be scared of Daniel Penny and people like him riding the subway. As is often the case, she expressed the views of a relatively small segment of the population (18% of knowledgeable voters).

Progressive leaders are similarly out of touch with public views about the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Just 10% of voters consider the killer a hero.

The Napolitan News Service surveys of 1,000 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen December 12, 2024. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.