Half of America reports watching at least a little of the virtual Democratic National Convention

New ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that among Americans who watched the convention, large majorities approve what the Democrats said and did.

The author(s)
  • Chris Jackson Senior Vice President, US, Public Affairs
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Washington, DC, August 23, 2020

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted on Friday and Saturday after the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) finds that half of Americans report watching at least a little of the event. While Democrats make up the larger share of convention watchers, almost half of Independents and a third of Republicans report tuning in. Among those Americans who watched any of the proceedings, a large majority approve of what the Democrats said and did. However, among Americans who did not watch any of the convention, majorities have a more negative view.

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Detailed findings:

1. The findings from this survey illustrated the sharply divided nature of the 2020 election and the divergent points of view of partisans. At the national level, responses to the convention appear mixed.

  • Slightly more than half (53%) of all Americans approve of what the Democrats said and did at their convention this week.
  • However, about half (51%) also believe the Democrats spent too much time criticizing Republicans.

2. But among the Democratic base, the convention is viewed in a highly positive light.

  • Virtually all Democrats (91%) approve of the content of the convention.
  • Eight in ten Black Americans (83%) approve of what the Democrats said and did at their convention – 30 points above all Americans (53% approve).
  • Two-thirds of Americans (66%) with a Bachelor’s degree or higher approve of the content of the DNC.
  • Americans under the age of 50 (54%) and over 65 (56%) also generally approve of the convention.
  • Among Republicans and Independents who report watching any of the convention, over half (55%) approve of what the Democrats said and did.

3. However, among Americans who more frequently align with President Trump, very few gave the DNC positive reviews.

  • Over half (57%) of Americans with a high school degree or less and 60% of people in the battleground region of the Midwest report not seeing any of the convention.
  • Eighty-three percent of Republicans and 61% of white Americans without a college degree disapprove of the content of the DNC.  
  • Among Republicans and Independents who heard news of the convention, but did not watch it themselves, 70% disapprove of the DNC.

About the Study

This ABC News/Ipsos Poll was conducted August 21 to August 22, 2020, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 714 general population adults age 18 or older with small oversamples among Black and Hispanic respondents.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult US population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.

The study was conducted in both English and Spanish. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, party identification, race/ethnicity by gender, race/ethnicity by age, and race/ethnicity by education. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2019 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). Party ID benchmarks are from recent ABC News/Washington Post telephone polls. The weighting categories were as follows:

  • Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, and 60+)
  • Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
  • Education (High School graduate or less, Some College, Bachelor and beyond)
  • Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
  • Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
  • Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
  • Party ID (Democrat, Republican, Independent, Something else)
  • Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Hispanic) by Gender (Male, Female)
  • Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Hispanic) by Age (18-44, 45+)
  • Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Hispanic) by Education (Some College or less, Bachelor and beyond)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.17. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on other sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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The author(s)
  • Chris Jackson Senior Vice President, US, Public Affairs

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