US Presidential Elections: The survey is based on initial voter responses and may change as more reactions start coming in
As the race for the US Presidential election nears its end, an interesting study has come out around the voter sentiment. According to preliminary national exit polls by Edison Research, nearly 75 per cent of voters in Tuesday's election believe American democracy is at risk. The contest between both the candidates remains tight— Kamala Harris and Donald Trump— as major pollsters indicated a razor-thin lead.
While other issues related to the economy also remained among the top concerns, worries over democratic idealism weighed heavily on voters' minds.
Roughly one-third of the voters highlighted both issues as a major concerning area. Abortion and immigration followed, at 14 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. According to the poll cited in a report by Reuters, 73 per cent of voters felt democracy was at risk, while only a quarter believed otherwise.
However, it is worth noting that these figures represent only a small portion of the tens of millions who have voted in the Presidential Election. The report also stated, that as more responses start coming in, these early results might paint a different picture.
Trump received a favorable view from nearly 44 per cent of voters, a slight drop from the 46 per cent he garnered in the 2020 exit polls when he lost to Joe Biden. Kamala Harris did have a better rating but only by a margin. She had a 48 per cent favorability rating, compared to Biden’s 52 per cent in 2020.
Harris was counting on support from women voters, as a large part of her campaign was centered around abortion rights. As per the report, exit polls revealed that women comprised 53 per cent of the electorate.
Another interesting data set was the share of voters who don't have a college degree. Nearly 57 per cent of voters lacked a proper degree and this is a group that generally favors Trump. However, there has been a slight decline in this figure from 2020.
Both the candidates have vastly different views and policy playbooks which makes the election even more interesting. This is because any change in the US's policy picture has a major impact on other nations. No doubt when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold.