Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by a margin of nearly two-to-one and is seen as the candidate who is better suited to address the concerns of African-Americans. | AP Photo S.C. poll: Clinton seen as better for African-Americans, those struggling financially

Hillary Clinton's lead over Bernie Sanders in South Carolina shows few signs of decline more than a week before Democratic voters cast their ballots in the state's primary, according to the results of the latest Monmouth University poll released Thursday.

The former secretary of state leads the Vermont senator by a margin of nearly two-to-one and is seen as the candidate who is better suited to address the concerns of African-Americans, who make up a majority of the state's Democratic base.


Overall, Clinton earned 59 percent in the latest survey, in line with recent polls taken of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters in the state. Sanders took 30 percent, an increase from the 21 percent who said they supported him in the same survey in November but still 29 points below Clinton.

Asked how either candidate would do in addressing the concerns of African-Americans and those who are struggling financially, Clinton fared better than Sanders in that regard as well.

While 72 percent of voters said Clinton would do an "excellent" (33 percent) or "good" (19 percent) job of helping African-Americans, just a little more than half of likely Democratic voters (51 percent) said Sanders would do an "excellent" or "good" job.

On dealing with the concerns of those who are struggling to make ends meet, 69 percent said Clinton would do an "excellent" (27 percent) or "good" (42 percent) job, while 60 percent said the same for Sanders (20 percent "excellent" and 40 percent "good.")

Nearly half of those surveyed — 45 percent — said they have firmly made up their mind about whom they will support on Feb. 27, while 26 percent said they have a strong preference. Just 7 percent indicated a slight preference, while 22 percent said they were undecided about their choice. Clinton voters are decidedly more set on their candidate, with 56 percent responding that they have their minds made up, compared to just 37 percent of Sanders supporters who indicated the same response.

Clinton's popularity remains high among South Carolina Democrats, with an approval rating of 76 percent to 14 percent, compared to Sanders' 61 percent to 17 percent. A little more than one in five voters (23 percent) said they do not have an opinion of the Vermont senator.

Monmouth University conducted the poll from Feb. 14-16, surveying 403 likely Democratic primary voters via landlines and cellphones, chosen from a list of registered voters who participated in at least one state primary in 2012 or 2014 or in both 2012 and 2014 general elections. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.