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As D.C. struggles through a significant political crisis, it’s little surprise that a new Washington Post poll has found that a plurality of residents are concerned with the city’s direction:

Forty-five percent of respondents to the new poll say city matters are generally on the wrong track versus 40 percent who believe the opposite.

The findings come as city politics and government have been beset by scandal and criminal prosecutions, including an ongoing probe into Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2010 campaign.

The numbers, while representing a significant increase in citizen unease from The Post’s previous D.C. poll in May 2o11, are nowhere near the depths plumbed in the early to mid-1990s, when 70 percent or more felt that the city was on the wrong track.

According to the poll, residents under the age of 30 are more optimistic than older residents, and men seem to see more silver-lining than women do. Moreover, white residents are more negative than black residents.