Vice President Vance is Unpopular, Just Barely Surpassing Trump
Vice President Vance has a net favorability of -12 (40% favorable – 52% unfavorable, including 40% who find him “very unfavorable”), having been at net -11 favorability for the past four Navigator surveys. Vance’s net favorability is five-points higher than President Trump’s (net -17, 41% favorable – 58% unfavorable, including 50% who find him “very unfavorable”).
Vance’s favorability is eclipsed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s, whose net favorability sits at -5 (35% favorable – 40% unfavorable).
Vance, whose newly released book is about his conversion to Catholicism, has a lower net favorability than Pope Leo’s. The pope, whom Vance had tussled with earlier this year, has a net favorability of +35 (54% favorable – 19% unfavorable). While Vance’s net favorability is higher among Republicans (+62 net favorability for Vance, +9 net favorability for the pope), the pope’s is nearly 70 points higher among Catholics (-12 net favorability for Vance, +57 net favorability for the pope).
Although Undefined to Many, Some Americans See Vance as a Bad Person and Incompetent
When asked what comes to mind about Vance, the most popular answers fell into three categories:
- Bad person / racist / immoral (13%),
- Incompetent / unqualified / unintelligent (12%), and
- Effective / good leader / competent (12%).
Some of the ways Vance was described ranged from factual to opinionated:
- “He’s the VP of the U.S.”
- “I liked him a lot because he is a good person and is a Christian”
- “A total loser for the American people”
Vance’s Approval Ratings Are Underwater on All Issues Navigator Tested
More Americans disapprove of Vance than approve of him on key issues. Vance’s lowest net approval is on gas prices (net -39 approval, 25% approve – 64% disapprove) and inflation and the cost of living (net -27 approval, 32% approve – 59% disapprove). Vance’s highest net approval is on immigration (-9 net approval, 41% approve – 50% disapprove).
Top Concerns About Vance are Related to Trump and Women
Over a third say one of their top concerns about Vance is that he is “a Trump yes-man” (34% concern) or his remarks suggesting Trump might be “America’s Hitler” before he became Trump’s vice president (34% concerned).
The top concern for Vance among Republicans and women under 55 are comments he made that seemed to suggest that “even violent” marriages should continue in some cases (25% and 40% concerned, respectively).
Vance is Especially Disliked by Women, Who Are Concerned by His Remarks on Women
Vance has a net favorability of -20 among women (35% favorable – 55% unfavorable), compared to just -4 among men (45% favorable – 49% unfavorable). Among self-proclaimed “childless cat ladies,” Vance has a -28 net favorability (32% favorable – 60% unfavorable).
Similarly, just over a quarter of women approve of Vance’s position on abortion (26% approve), compared to 55% who disapprove.
Women are also more concerned about Vance’s remarks about staying in “even violent” marriages and abortion than men (10 points and 5 points more concerned, respectively). Vance’s comments about marriage are concerning among a plurality of Republican women (29%).
