American voters see Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as the best candidate for the economy, but prefer his Democratic rival President Joe Biden’s approach to preserving democracy, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The three-day poll that concluded Sunday showed that with less than five months until the Nov. 5 election, the electorate is divided over the candidates’ focus on the two biggest issues facing the nation. With less than five months until the Nov. 5 election, the electorate is divided over the candidates’ focus on the issues that respondents see as the top two problems facing the nation.
Biden’s approval rating, measured across all respondents in the survey, rose slightly to 37% from 36% in May, when it tied the lowest reading of his presidency. Many Democrats fear that Biden will be hurt by voter concern about his age (at 81 he is the oldest president to serve in office) and by disapproval within his party of his support for Israel’s war on Hamas.
When asked which of the two candidates had a better approach to the economy—the No. 1 concern for respondents—registered voters chose Trump by 43% to 37%. Voters have been hit by several years of rapidly rising consumer prices, although inflation has slowed considerably in recent months, and the unemployment rate has been below 4% for more than two years.
Republicans had a more significant lead – 44% to 31% – on immigration. Immigrants represented 13.9% of the country in 2022, the highest proportion in more than a century. Trump has attacked immigrants who are in the country illegally. Trump was favored 40% to 35% on foreign conflicts and terrorism.
But Biden had the edge over Trump in responding to political extremism and threats to democracy, respondents’ No. 2 concern, with registered voters choosing the Democrat over Trump by 39% to 33%.
Trump, who was convicted last month on criminal charges that he falsified business records, is awaiting three more criminal trials, two of which are tied to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. Trump, who falsely claims that his loss in the 2020 election was due to fraud, included this claim in a fiery speech shortly before hundreds of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on August 6. January 2021.
Biden is ahead in health care polls, although tied in battleground states
Biden also led Trump on health policy: 40% to 29%. Biden was vice president in 2010, when then-President Barack Obama pushed historic health reform through Congress that dramatically increased access to health insurance.
Previous Reuters/Ipsos polls have shown Biden and Trump tied in the presidential race, although several polls in battleground states have shown Trump ahead in recent months.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted nationally and online, collected responses from 1,019 American adults, including 856 registered voters. It had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points for all respondents and 3.5 percentage points for registered voters.
