A Quinnipiac University Poll released on Wednesday shows Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump by 10 points nearly a week after the Republican National Convention.
The survey indicated that 52% of likely voters would vote for Biden “if the election were today” and 42% would vote for Trump. Meanwhile, 58% of those polled said the country is “worse off than it was in 2016. The poll also shows a clear partisan divide in support for the respective major party nominees, with Republicans favoring Trump 90-8% and Democrats choosing Biden 93-6%.
Biden +10 among likely voters in Quinnipiac’s new poll. https://t.co/LABsfXALJ9
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 2, 2020
The poll, which was intended gauge voter feelings on critical issues, asked a series of questions on key topics including perceptions of racism and mail-in voting.
One of these topics centers around fear that in-person voting could lead to the spread of COVID-19, but universal mail-in voting proposals have sparked debate on whether vote-by-mail programs present an election security issue. The survey found that “[m]ore than 4 in 10 of likely voters, 45 percent, say they think they will vote in person on Election Day.”
The survey further found that just over one-third thought they would vote by mail or absentee ballot, while 16% told pollsters they would vote in-person at a designated early voting location. (RELATED: Mail-In Voting For November Election Over Coronavirus Opens Door For Fraud, Experts Say)
Nationwide, ongoing protests and riots since the death of George Floyd and the more recent shooting of Jacob Blake have put the issue of racial equity at the forefront of political discussion. Of likely voters, 75% said that “racism is a big issue.”
“Overall, the majority of likely voters agree as to what has been described as America’s original sin. They see racism as pervasive,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
The Quinnipiac University poll, which was conducted Aug. 28-31, surveyed 1,081 likely voters nationwide and has a 3% margin of error.