A new Pew Research Center survey, held after US President Donald Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted coronavirus, shows that in at least two regards, public opinion has not swayed much.Voters continue to be very focused on the election and view it election and its outcome as very important, with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holding sizeable advantages over Trump on major issues and voter preferences.
With elections less than a month away, 52% of registered voters say that they would vote for Biden or lean towards voting for him while 42% would vote for or lean towards voting for Trump. Some 4% support or lean towards voting for Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen and 1% support or lean toward the Green Party's Howie Hawkins, according to the poll.
Voters see Biden as more capable of handling the impact on public health of the coronavirus pandemic than Trump, with 57% saying they are very or somewhat confident in Biden's ability to handle the crisis while 40% are somewhat or very confident in Trump's ability.
Half of registered voters expressed confidence that Biden can bring the country together while only 30% say the same about Trump.
Voters are very focused on Trump, with supporters voting to elect him, and Biden supporters voting to prevent him from being elected. About two-thirds (63%) of Biden supporters are casting a vote against Trump, with 90% saying that "Trump's election would result in lasting harm to the United States." A large majority (89%) of Trump supporters say the same of Biden being elected.
Voters see the election as being about core American values and goals rather than policy, according to the poll.
One topic on which there was an apparent change in the views of registered voters was the economy. Voters' views have changed since June with 35% saying that economic conditions are good or excellent compared to 28% saying so in June.This change is almost entirely among Trump supporters, with two-thirds now saying that economic conditions are good or excellent compared to half of them in June. Among Biden supporters, this change is much less pronounced, with 11% saying economic conditions are good or excellent compared to 9% in June.The proportion of voters who are confident that the candidates are capable of handling the economic situation is similar for both. Just over half (52%) of registered voters expressed confidence in Trump making good decisions about economic policy and 51% expressed similar confidence in Biden.More registered voters see Biden as compassionate with two-thirds saying that the word compassionate describes Biden very or fairly well compared to only a third who say the same about Trump.53% of registered voters say Biden is honest compared to 35% who say the same for Trump.More voters see Biden as a good role model (54% to 28% for Trump), and Trump is seen as being more mentally sharp (50% compared to 46% for Biden).
Voters are looking to the day after the election to start bridging the wide gaps that have formed. According to the poll, "89% of Biden supporters and 86% of Trump supporters say that if their candidate is victorious, he should focus primarily on the concerns of all Americans, even if it means disappointing some of his supporters."