Four in five registered voters in a new poll feel "things in the country are out of control" as the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic approaches 110,000, unemployment remains at a level not seen since the Great Depression and protests continue across the U.S. 

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, just 15% of voters think matters in the USA are under control and perceptions of the economy are at their worst since the end of President Barack Obama's first term, when the country was still recovering from a recession. 

The sense of chaos and economic pessimism did not have much effect on the job approval rating for President Donald Trump. At 45%, his approval rating remains within the range that NBC/Wall Street Journal polls and other surveys have found since he took office. 

Trump has pitched himself as the "law and order" candidate for the upcoming election. But 59% of voters said they were more concerned about the actions of police than the protesters, while 27% said they were more concerned about the violent protests and 13% said they were worried about both.

The poll found former Vice President Joe Biden, who clinched the Democratic nomination last week, leading Trump 49% to 42% – the same result as the previous NBC/Wall Street Journal poll on April 20. 

Trump edged Biden by 3 points (40%-37%) in the percentage of voters who said they had a positive opinion of the candidate, including a 12-point margin among those who had a "very positive" opinion (29%-17%). Biden's 38% total negative rating was lower than Trump's 51%, and while 45% of those had a "very negative" opinion of Trump, 26% felt that strongly about Biden. 

A 55% majority said they want a president who is looking to compromise and search for a consensus, compared with 35% who preferred someone promising "bigger and bolder changes." 

Fifty-seven percent of voters said they want to see the government do more in response to the challenges facing the country while 38% said the government is doing too many things better left to private enterprise. And 51% of voters said they would prefer a Congress controlled by Democrats. 

Although the percentage of voters saying they fear that they or someone they know might get coronavirus was down 10 points from April, it remained a concern for 63%. And only 11% said the outbreak was contained enough for the economy to return to normal. Fifty-seven percent said they expect it to be contained within the next few months or within the year and another 17% said it may take longer than that. 

The poll was conducted from May 28 to June 2 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.