Our research below provides messaging guidance for progressives to win key policy debates.
Less than two in five Americans support the Senate considering Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court before the election, and express deep concern about the ACA and reproductive rights before the Court; a growing majority think it will take longer than the day after the election to know who won the presidency, and nine in ten Americans agree it is the most important election of their lifetimes.
Coronavirus, health care, and the economy remain the top concerns for Americans as most Americans now believe the worst is yet to come in the pandemic. Separately, many Americans disagree with the decision to forego filing homicide charges in the case involving the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Americans are split on who they think will win in November at a time when many are concerned about the potential of a long count, voter supression, and foreign interference among other potential election-related issues.
The pandemic continuesto be Americans’ most important issue ata ttime when a majority continues to view America’s response to the pandemic as worse than the responses of other countries.
In Ruth Bader Ginsburg, America has lost a beloved figure. Most Americans say the winner of the upcoming election should choose her replacement, with many citing the need for leaders in Washington to remain focused on the pandemic.
Some feel school reopenings are going well but most expect schools will have to close at some point due to an outbreak.
Americans believe Trump sees disorder and division as helpful to his re-election chances; nearly two-thirds of the public say Trump’s statements about the military are seriously concerning.
Though the rate of new cases has plateaued in the United States, half still say the “worst is yet to come” in the pandemic as a growing share of the public expressing concern about Trump rushing the process of getting a vaccine developed.
While support for reopening K-12 schools has ticked up in recent weeks, two-thirds of the public continue to say they are more on the “cautious” side of the reopening debate; three out of four Americans support fully funding the USPS while the share who plan to vote by mail has declined in recent weeks.
Americans support protests focused on the treatment of Black Americans and are largely not noticing increases in crime in their own communities, the vast majority say crime has increased in the United States in the last year. Americans are concerned about those close to them getting infected with coronavirus, though a minority concerned about the risk posed to them by the rise in crime.
As Trump’s job approval reverts to pre-convention levels, Americans see the Republican Party as focusing the most on jobs, the economy, and immigration while seeing the Democratic Party as focusing the most on the pandemic and race relations.
Nearly a quarter of Americans know someone personally who has died from coronavirus, while a vast majority supports keeping social distancing measures in place until a vaccine is developed and readily available.
The public sees as Trump looking out for himself first instead of the country and perceives him as falling short of his campaign promises; African Americans are unpersuaded by Trump’s claim that they are doing better under the current administration than they have since Abraham Lincoln was president.
Americans view the USPS situation as unresolved, with many believing that Trump opposes funding the USPS because he thinks it will help him with re-election.
With Biden voters disproportionately likely to say they’ll vote by mail, and Trump voters more likely to say they’ll vote in-person, the public is aware that this year’s election results are unlikely to be final as of election night.
