Reuters/Ipsos Data: Core Political (04/24/2019)

Washington, D.C. - In the latest Reuters/Ipsos Core Political poll, Americans remain pessimistic about the direction of the country – just 32% report we are headed in the right direction, unchanged from last week. Republicans remain the most optimistic about the country with 62% reporting they believe the country is headed in the right direction, but this number is down 7 points from last week. Democrats (12%) and Independents (29%) continue to be very negative about the direction of the nation. 

Despite a drop in approval ratings immediately following the release of the full Mueller Report (37% of Americans approved on April 19th), President Trump’s approval rating has leveled off at 40% - unchanged from last week’s Core Political numbers. Republicans continue to be the linchpin of Trump’s support with 79% approving of the job he is doing as president, but this number has dropped 4 points since last week. Independents (37%) and Democrats (12%) remain critical of Trump.

Immigration (20%), healthcare (20%), and the economy (11%) are seen as the most important problems facing the country today by all Americans. Partisanship is a strong driver of the perceptions of the major issues. Over a quarter of Democrats (27%) report the main issue is healthcare. Immigration is the top issue for Republicans (38%). Independents find healthcare (21%) and immigration (18%) to be important problems, followed by the economy (14%).  

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, Reuters/Ipsos has begun asking Democrats and Independents who they would vote for in the Democratic primary. While it is still early in the election cycle, Former Vice President Joe Biden (24%) and Senator Bernie Sanders (15%) are currently billed as the top contenders. Twenty-one percent declared they did not know who they would vote for in the Democratic primary. The next closest contenders are Mayor Pete Buttigieg (7%), Senator Kamala Harris (6%), Beto O’Rourke (6%), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (5%). The rest of the candidates receive less than 5% of support. Name recognition is strongest for Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, where 85% and 84% of Democrats report being somewhat or very familiar with each man respectively. About half of Democrats say they are familiar with Kamala Harris (53%) and Beto O’Rourke (51%) and two-thirds report being familiar with Elizabeth Warren (67%). Over a third of Democrats (37%) report being familiar with Pete Buttigieg. Wayne Messam is the least familiar of all presidential hopefuls, with just 10% of Democrats reporting they are somewhat or very familiar with him.  

About this Study

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters between April 17-23, 2019. For the survey, a sample of 4,018 Americans, including 1,449 Democrats, 1,437 Republicans, and 788 Independents ages 18+ were interviewed online. The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points for all adults, 2.9 percentage points for Democrats, 2.9 percentage points for Republicans, and 4.0 percentage points for Independents. For more information about credibility intervals, please see the appendix.

The data were weighted to the U.S. current population data by gender, age, education, and ethnicity. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Figures marked by an asterisk (*) indicate a percentage value of greater than zero but less than one half of one per cent. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. To see more information on this and other Reuters/Ipsos polls, please visit http://polling.reuters.com/.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Clifford Young
President, U.S.
Ipsos Public Affairs
202.420.2016
[email protected]

Chris Jackson
Vice President, U.S.
Ipsos Public Affairs
202.420.2011
[email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry.

With offices in 89 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,749.5 million in 2018.