US: Presidential polling – Presidential Race & Covid-19 Update
As part of Opinium’s inaugural poll in partnership with Guardian US, we surveyed 2,000 nationally representative adults online between June 19th and 24th to understand where the American public and voters stand on key issues surrounding the presidential race and handling of Covid-19. How has Bolton’s new book affected voting intent? How has approval of the government’s handling of coronavirus shifted over time? Here are some of our key findings.
Biden leads Trump by 12 among likely voters
52% of Americans disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president while 36% approve. Meanwhile, we asked whether people approved or disapproved of how the former vice president is handling being the nominee. Overall 41% approved while 38% disapproved.
Among those who are registered to vote and indicate that they are 10/10 certain to vote in November’s election, former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 52% to 40%. Even among those with an unfavorable view of both candidates but who are still 10/10 likely to vote in November, Biden leads Trump by 37% to 14%, though 26% plan to vote for third party candidates and 23% still “don’t know”.
Americans think combatting coronavirus should take priority over the economy
Views of the federal response to Covid-19 have turned negative since April and, while views of respondents’ state governments’ responses remain net positive, they have become significantly more negative in the intervening months.
By 53% to 32% Americans say that the priority should be “Saving as many lives as possible from coronavirus regardless of the impact on the economy” over “Restoring jobs and getting the economy back up and running regardless of the risks from coronavirus”.
Opinium and Guardian US will partner on monthly national polls as well as some swing state-level polling to measure voter and general population attitudes on key election issues and track changes over time. Polling will include favorability ratings of the candidates, deep-dives in swing states, as well as a focus on topical issues, such as the administration’s handling of coronavirus and racial justice, debate performance, and the impact of any scandals that emerge throughout the campaigns.
Download the full report below. To be notified of upcoming US research when it goes live, sign up here.
View the full tables here.
