Four in five fear US sliding into chaos, survey finds

WASHINGTON — People in the United States fear their country is spiraling out of control following an assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, with worries growing that the Nov 5 election could spark more political violence, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The two-day poll that closed on Tuesday found Trump opening a marginal lead among registered voters — 43 percent to 41 percent — over Democratic US President Joe Biden, an advantage that was within the poll's 3 percentage point margin of error, suggesting the attempt on Trump's life had not sparked a major shift in voter sentiment.

However, 80 percent of voters, including similar shares of Democrats and Republicans, said they agreed with a statement that "the country is spiraling out of the control".