The American people are split on whether to believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations or Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s protestations of innocence, but even more U.S. adults say they do not know who to believe.
According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published Wednesday:
- 32 percent of those surveyed believe Ford
- 26 percent believe Kavanaugh
- 42 percent do not know who to believe
Those numbers contrast with polls about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s confirmation process in 1991 that included testimony from Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of workplace sexual harassment. Forty percent of people believed Thomas compared to 24 percent who believed Hill, according to NPR.
U.S. adults did admit that politicians’ stances on Kavanaugh will affect how they vote. Thirty-seven percent said they “are likely to vote for someone who opposes Kavanaugh,” while 32 percent said they are likely to vote for someone who supports the nominee, according to NPR. Twenty-seven percent said Kavanaugh’s nomination does not affect how they vote.
Roughly the same percentage of people surveyed said they have a favorable view of Kavanaugh as said they do not know who Kavanaugh is or do not have an opinion on him, according to NPR. Thirty-two percent approve of Kavanaugh, while 31 percent are unaware of or undecided about the nominee. Thirty-seven percent “have an unfavorable opinion” of Kavanaugh.
Nearly 60 percent of respondents said Kavanaugh should not be confirmed if Ford’s claims are truthful.
A similar percentage of U.S. adults said they will be following the news about Kavanaugh’s nomination “closely or very closely,” according to NPR.
The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll talked to 997 adults from Sept. 22 to 24. The margin of error is 3.9 percentage points.
Ford claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were both in high school. Kavanaugh denies the allegations. (RELATED: Republicans Consider Using Female Staffers To Question Kavanaugh Accuser, Her Attorneys Push Back)
Kavanaugh currently serves as a Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. President Donald Trump announced Kavanaugh as his nominee July 9.
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