Fresh polling conducted by the Economist/YouGov Poll from June 23 to 25 reveals that there is a marked difference between Democratic and Republican partisans when it comes to their interest in watching Thursday night’s CNN debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump in Atlanta. While there will be no live audience at the event, Democrats seem less likely to tune in, leaving an opportunity for the presumptive Republican nominee to connect with viewers who will be watching on television.
In terms of voter intent, the data shows that 37% of Biden supporters and 40% of Trump supporters say they will definitely watch the debate on Thursday, surpassing the 35% of registered voters who have pledged to watch. This gives Team Trump the edge in terms of engagement. The gap between Republicans and Democrats is more pronounced, with 40% of Republicans definite in their plans to watch compared to only 33% of Democrats.
Even among independents, only 17% say they will definitely watch the debate, indicating that persuadable voters may not be the ultimate audience for this event. The polling also shows that among leaners, more Republican leaners are committed to watching than Democratic leaners. The ideological breakdown reveals that 35% of conservatives and 34% of liberals will definitely watch the debate, while only 25% of moderates have made the same commitment.
The polling data suggests that Trump partisans are more motivated and enthusiastic about voting in November compared to those backing Biden. 50% of Trump voters say they are “very enthusiastic” about their choice, while only 35% of Biden supporters share the same level of enthusiasm. When broken down by party identification and ideology, conservatives and Republicans show higher levels of enthusiasm for voting in November compared to liberals and Democrats.
Despite the enthusiasm gap, the polling also offers some encouragement for the Biden camp. The same percentage of Biden and Trump supporters, 90%, say they will definitely vote in November. However, when factoring in party affiliation, the data favors the GOP, with 87% of Republicans and only 84% of Democrats stating they will definitely vote. Additionally, the overall race among registered voters is tied at 42% for both Trump and Biden.
In conclusion, the polling data indicates that Democrats seem less enthusiastic about watching the upcoming CNN debate between Biden and Trump compared to Republicans. While Republicans show higher levels of engagement and enthusiasm for voting in November, the data also reveals that a significant portion of both Trump and Biden supporters are committed to voting. The results suggest that the upcoming election may be closely contested, with both parties having strengths and weaknesses to address as the campaign continues.
