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Nearly Half Of Voters Would Consider A Third-Party Presidential Candidate In 2024, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Majority Expect Climate Change To Negatively Affect World In Their Lifetime

With the 2024 presidential race potentially pitting a current and former president against each other and more than a dozen other candidates officially seeking their party's presidential nomination, voters are evenly split about voting for a third-party candidate, with 47 percent saying they would consider voting for a third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election and 47 percent say they would not consider it, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University national poll released today.

Independents say more than 2 to 1 (64 - 30 percent) that they would consider voting for a third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election while Democrats (61 - 35 percent) and Republicans (57 - 38 percent) say they would not consider it.

"With neither President Biden nor former President Trump knocking it out of the park on favorability, almost half of the country would consider another option. No specific name for the candidate, no specific designation for the party, but it is a vivid indication that for many voters, the status quo is a no-go," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

2024 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

The race for the Republican presidential nomination is largely unchanged from a June 14 Quinnipiac University poll. Former President Donald Trump receives 54 percent support among Republican and Republican leaning voters followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 25 percent support. Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence each receive 4 percent support, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie each receive 3 percent support, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy receives 2 percent support. All other listed Republican candidates receive less than 1 percent support.

2024 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is also largely unchanged from a month ago. President Joe Biden receives 71 percent support among Democratic and Democratic leaning voters, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist receives 14 percent support and Marianne Williamson, an author, receives 7 percent support.

2024 GENERAL ELECTION

President Biden leads former President Trump 49 - 44 percent in a hypothetical general election matchup among registered voters. This is essentially unchanged from June, when Biden had a slight lead over Trump, 48 - 44 percent.

MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION ISSUE

When registered voters were given a list of eight issues and asked which is the most important to them in deciding who to vote for in the election for president, 31 percent of voters say the economy and 29 percent say preserving democracy in the United States. Seven percent say abortion, 7 percent say gun violence, 6 percent say immigration, 6 percent say health care, 6 percent say racial inequality, and 5 percent say climate change.

Among Republicans, 51 percent say the economy, 22 percent say preserving democracy in the United States and 13 percent say immigration.

Among Democrats, 37 percent say preserving democracy in the United States, 12 percent say the economy and 12 percent say gun violence.

Among independents, 34 percent say the economy and 30 percent say preserving democracy in the United States.

BIDEN

Americans give President Biden a negative 38 - 54 percent job approval rating, compared to a negative 41 - 54 percent job approval rating in June.

Registered voters give him a negative 40 - 53 percent job approval rating compared to a negative 42 - 54 percent job approval rating in June.

Americans were asked about President Biden's handling of...

  • the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 43 percent approve, while 48 percent disapprove;
  • foreign policy: 39 percent approve, while 53 percent disapprove;
  • the economy: 37 percent approve, while 58 percent disapprove.

UKRAINE

A third of Americans (33 percent) think the United States is doing too much to help Ukraine, 18 percent think the U.S. is doing too little, and 41 percent think the U.S. is doing about the right amount to help Ukraine.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) think supporting Ukraine is in the national interest of the United States, while 29 percent think it is not in the national interest of the United States.

Americans were asked about President Biden's authorization to send cluster munitions to Ukraine despite concerns from human rights groups that they endanger civilians. Americans disapprove (51 - 39 percent) of the president's actions.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) say they are either very concerned (42 percent) or somewhat concerned (25 percent) about climate change. Roughly one-third of Americans (32 percent) say they are either not so concerned (12 percent) or not concerned at all (20 percent).

Six in ten Americans (60 percent) think extreme weather events in the United States over the past few years are related to climate change, while 34 percent do not think they are related to climate change.

When asked whether they are worried that they or someone in their family might be affected by an extreme weather event, 53 percent say they are not worried, while 46 percent say they are worried.

A majority of Americans (55 percent) think that climate change is going to have a significant negative effect on the world in their lifetime, while 41 percent don't think that.

"Searing heat, devastating flooding, choking smoke. Americans are enduring a summer of weather-related calamities, with no age group more concerned than the youngest Americans," added Malloy.

SUPREME COURT

Americans give the United States Supreme Court a negative 35 - 55 percent job approval rating, an improvement from a low of negative 29 - 58 percent in June.

Registered voters give the Supreme Court a negative 36 - 56 percent job approval rating, also an improvement from an all-time low approval rating in June, when the High Court received a negative 30 - 59 percent job approval rating.

Seventy percent of Americans think that Supreme Court justices are too influenced by politics, while 23 percent do not think that Supreme Court justices are too influenced by politics.

More than 4 in 10 Americans (43 percent) think the Supreme Court is too conservative, while 33 percent think it's about right and 13 percent think it's too liberal. This is a change from a September 2021 Quinnipiac University poll when 34 percent thought the Supreme Court was too conservative, 34 percent thought it was about right and 19 percent thought it was too liberal.

Nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58 percent) think universities should not be allowed to use race as one of the factors in admissions to increase diversity in the student body, while 37 percent say universities should be allowed to do that.

Seven in 10 Americans (70 percent) think businesses should not be allowed to refuse services to people who are gay or lesbian, while 24 percent think businesses should be allowed to do that.

2,056 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from July 13th - 17th with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.

The survey included 1,809 self-identified registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points. The survey included 727 Republican and Republican leaning voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points and 763 Democratic and Democratic leaning voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

Visit poll.qu.edu or www.facebook.com/quinnipiacpoll

Email poll@qu.edu, or follow us on Twitter @QuinnipiacPoll.

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