Special Poll
A recent YouGov and Yahoo News poll reveals that “dread” is the predominant sentiment among voters as they anticipate the upcoming presidential showdown between President Biden and former President Trump this fall. The survey asked participants to express their feelings towards the anticipated rematch, with “dread” being the foremost choice for 40% of the respondents. Additionally, 29% reported feeling “exhaustion,” and 21% indicated “depression,” with only 8% expressing “delight” over the upcoming election.
Interestingly, over half of the surveyed Americans, 53%, selected at least one of the negative emotions (dread, exhaustion, depression), compared to 40% who chose a positive sentiment like optimism, excitement, or delight. Despite general apprehension regarding the two presidential contenders, Yahoo News observed a slight shift towards less negativity about the rematch than previously noted.
Both Trump and Biden have officially secured their party’s nomination, with Trump obtaining the necessary Republican delegates and Biden achieving the Democratic nomination, setting the stage for what promises to be a tightly contested general election campaign.
The poll indicates a change in voter sentiment since September when the race was more crowded. Notably, feelings of “exhaustion” have decreased by 5 points to 29%, while “optimism” has climbed by 6 points to 31%, now trailing only “dread” as the second most prevalent emotion among voters. Among Republican participants, “optimism” ranks as the leading emotion, and there’s a pronounced belief in Trump’s potential victory, with 85% of GOP respondents viewing him as the favorite, whereas 65% of Democrats see Biden as likely to secure a second term.
This survey, capturing the perspectives of 1,482 voters from March 8-11, carries a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, shedding light on the complex emotional landscape as the nation braces for the upcoming electoral rematch.