The latest poll conducted by NPR, PBS, and Marist Poll shows that more than 60% of GOP voters say it is more important for their presidential nominee to stand on conservative principles rather than being able to defeat President Joe Biden.
On the other hand, 76% of Republican and Republican-leaning independents prefer Trump to be their candidate, up from the 68% favorable rating from February. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s biggest rival for the nomination, saw no change in his favorable rating from February at 67%.
With Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, Biden holds an 83% favorable rating for winning the nomination. That’s unchanged from February. Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. only holds a 35% favorable rating while 34% of voters have an unfavorable view of him.
Overall, 45% of Americans believe that Biden is doing a good job, but 49% disapprove of his work in the White House.
Majority Oppose Overturning Roe v. Wade
Almost one year after the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, a majority of Americans still oppose this decision. Fifty-seven percent of Americans are against the decision while 40% support it. Overall, voters have had little to no change in their opinions about abortion rights since June 2022, the poll indicated.
The issue is still very partisan. Nearly three-quarters of Democrats support abortion rights while two-thirds of Republicans are strongly against it. Nearly 6 in 10 independents support abortion rights.
Many Americans have lost confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court since the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Nearly 60% of voters have little to no confidence in the Supreme Court while only 39% have great confidence — up 2% from the all-time low of 37% in February.
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Affirmative Action Supported by Majority of Americans
Affirmative action programs have been in place for decades to remove discrimination barriers and increase opportunities for minorities.
Asked their thoughts on affirmative action programs, 57% of Americans answered that such programs should be continued in hiring and promoting, and college admissions. Only 38% of Americans indicated that these programs should be abolished.
The poll showed a major racial divide with affirmative action programs with 66% of nonwhite and 52% of white individuals supporting affirmative action. Gender showed a divide as well with 62% of women supporting affirmative action compared to 50% of men.
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Gender Transition Health Care Divide
Forty-five percent of respondents, which included a majority of Republicans and independents, said that only adults that are 18 or older should be able to have access to gender transition-related health care. A quarter of those polled said that no one, regardless of age, should be given access to such health care, with 43% of Republican women agreeing with this statement.
The overwhelming majority of respondents said that gender should be defined by birth. In a 51% to 36% margin, respondents said that the only way to define male and female in society is by the sex listed on birth certificates.
But there is a huge political divide on this question, with 9-in-10 Republicans holding these views. In contrast, 6-in-10 Democrats say the definition is out of date and needs to be updated to include identity as well.
Check out the poll’s methodology at this link.
