The tight contest predicted by several opinion polls may not relay the kind of resentment voters have toward two of the presumptive candidates, who will likely ultimately face off on Nov. 5. The results of a recent survey by Pew Research Center made public on Wednesday shed light on the sentiment.
Biden Vs. Trump: President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump are virtually tied, with 48% of registered voters supporting the former or leaning toward him, while 49% support the latter or leaning toward voting for him.
The survey interviewed 8,709 adults, including 7,166 registered voters, between April 8-14.
In line with the trend seen in 2020, younger voters and those with a four-year college degree aligned more with Biden than Trump. Trump had a huge lead among older voters and with people no college degree.
Fifty-six percent of White voters supported Trump compared to 42% who backed Biden, while the president commanded a huge lead (77%) among Black voters. The support of Hispanic voters was evenly divided, while Asian voters aligned more with Biden (59%) than Trump (36%).
Another key finding was that the support base of the two candidates from 2020 remained almost the same. Overwhelming majorities of those who cast ballots for Biden (91%) and Trump (94%) support the same candidate in 2024. Registered voters who did not vote in 2020 were about evenly divided, with 48% backing Trump, while 46% supported Biden.
Trump trumped Biden on physical fitness and mental fitness to do the job of president, while Biden scored over Trump on ethically acting while in office, and preservation of democracy.
Not Enthused About Either: Despite these results, voters overall have little confidence in either candidate on key traits such as fitness for office, personal ethics, and respect for democratic values.
Reflecting their dissatisfaction with the Biden-Trump matchup, Nearly half of registered voters (49%) said if they could decide the major party candidates for the 2024 election, they would replace both Biden and Trump on the ballot.
The dissatisfaction was more evident with Biden supporters. About 62% of Biden supporters said they would like to have both candidates replaced. The proportion of Trump supporters who said this was a more modest 35%.
Sixty-six percent of voters under 30 wanted to replace both candidates, while 54% of those aged between 30 and 49 years expressed the sentiment. Only 43% of those who were 50 and older wanted other alternatives.
Presidential Ratings: Forty-two percent of voters rated Trump as a “good” or “great” president, while only 11% said he was “average”. The percentage of people expressing the opinion improved modestly since March 2021, two months after he left office.
In comparison, only 28% said Biden was a “good” or “great” president and 21% said he was “average.”
Biden’s job approval rating was at an anemic 35%, although up slightly from 33% in January, with the increase accounted for by a slightly larger number of Democrats (65%) approving his job as president. A majority of voters wanted the losing candidate in November to publicly acknowledge the winner, with the proportion of Democrats and Republicans saying this at 77% and 44%, respectively.
Regarding Trump’s alleged role in overturning the 2020 election, 45% of Americans said the former president’s actions broke the law, while 38% said he did not break the law. Of the 38%, 15% said his actions were wrong but not illegal, and 23% who say he did nothing wrong. About two in ten said they weren’t sure.
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