A majority of U.S. voters consider the criminal charges in New York related to a hush money payment against former President Trump to be serious, per new polling.

Why it matters: Trump is days away from the start of the first trial out of the four criminal cases against him, while electioneering for the presidency.

• The New York trial, set to start on April 15 with jury selection, concerns a 2016 payment allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
• About 4 in 10 Republican respondents considered the hush money charges to be serious.
• Two-thirds of independents also deemed the charges serious.

By the numbers: 64% of registered voters described the charges as at least "somewhat serious," according to Reuters/Ipsos poll data published Wednesday.

• 34% said the charges lacked seriousness.
• The rest were unsure or didn't answer.

Catch up quick: Appeals courts twice this week denied attempts from Trump's legal team to delay the start of the trial.

• Trump's legal team has employed delay tactics in proceedings across the four jurisdictions where he faces criminal charges — and it's currently not clear whether the three other cases will go to trial before the election.

Zoom out: Voters, already disillusioned with their candidate options in the 2024 election, considered charges in the other ongoing cases more serious, per Reuters/Ipsos.

• About 74% of respondents said the charges of election fraud in Georgia against Trump were serious.

Between the lines: The New York case has been considered the weaker of the indictments against Trump, while the Georgia case potentially carries the highest stakes.

What we're watching: Trump, the first U.S. president indicted with criminal charges, faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.

• He's pleaded not guilty to all counts and continued to disparage the case, the judge overseeing it and the prosecutors.

Go deeper: Read: Judge releases jury questionnaire in Trump hush money trial