LAS VEGAS — Most Democrats consider income inequality a very important issue and half of them think tougher regulations of the financial markets imposed after the 2008 financial crisis did not go far enough, according to a poll released as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders enter a crucial stretch for the party’s nomination.

The poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggested support within the party for Sanders’ fiery calls to increase regulations on Wall Street banks and address wide gaps between the nation’s wealthy and poor. Most Democrats — and Republicans — support increasing the federal minimum wage, although they favor more incremental steps backed by Clinton, the poll found.

Clinton and Sanders are vying for support in Nevada, which was among the hardest-hit states during the economic downturn and holds its Democratic caucuses Saturday. The Clinton-Sanders contest, and Republican caucuses in the state three days later, could offer a snapshot of how the presidential field is being judged against the backdrop of more economic anxiety.

The poll found that reducing income inequality, a message championed by Sanders, resonates deeply with Democrats. More than three-quarters of them in the poll say reducing the gap between rich and poor is very or extremely important for the next president to address. And eight in 10 Democrats, but just three in 10 Republicans, say the government has some responsibility to reduce those income differences.

Democrats were even more likely to say that reducing poverty is very important for the next president (86 percent) than that reducing the gap between rich and poor is that important (77 percent).