Americans have more polarized views of former President Trump than President Biden, according to a Gallup favorability poll released Tuesday.
The May poll — conducted before Trump was convicted of 34 criminal charges in his secret trial in New York — asked respondents to rate the two major political parties’ presumptive nominees on a scale of 1 to 5 if they viewed the candidate favorably. , and on a scale of -1 to -5, if they see the candidate in a negative light.
Overall, the candidates had the same favorability rating, at 46 percent, and a similar unfavorability rating, with Biden at 54 percent and Trump at 52 percent.
Trump, however, has attracted more extreme views. A quarter (25 percent) of respondents had highly favorable views of Trump (rating him a 4 or 5 on the scale), while just 20 percent said the same about Biden. Meanwhile, 40% had highly unfavorable opinions of Trump (rating him -4 or -5 on the scale), while 35% said the same about Biden.
In Gallup’s latest 2020 pre-election favorability poll, conducted in early October 2020, Trump’s favorability was similar to today, with 47 percent favorable and 51 percent unfavorable. Biden’s, however, was significantly higher, with 54% favorable and 43% unfavorable.
Biden’s net favorability has declined by 8 points among US adults since the 2020 poll, a decline that has been seen across several demographic groups.
Biden’s favorability dropped 25 points among Americans ages 18 to 34 (58% to 33%); 17 points among people of color (75% to 58%); 17 points among self-described independent voters (60% to 43%); and 11 points among men (50% to 39%).
Biden also saw a 5-point decrease in favorability among Republicans (10% to 5%) and a 4-point decrease among Democrats (92% to 88%).
Meanwhile, Trump saw just a net decline of 1 point in the 2020 poll. His favorability rose 8 points among Americans ages 18 to 34 (38% to 46%) and 8 points among people of color (27% to 35%). His preference declined 6 points among Americans 55 and older (50 percent to 44 percent), 4 points among white adults (56 percent to 52 percent), and 3 points among men (55 percent to 52 percent).
Trump, unlike Biden, has cultivated more loyalty within his party, with a 2-point increase in support among Republicans compared to 2020 (93 percent to 95 percent). Trump’s favorability decreased by 1 point among independents (45% to 44%) and 2 points among Democrats (6% to 4%).
In the national average of polls from The Hill’s Decision Desk headquarters, Trump and Biden are neck and neck, with the presumptive Republican nominee leading the president by 1 point, 45.1% to 44.1%.
The survey was conducted May 1-23, 2024, and included 1,024 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
