Name: Attention to U.S. Election Reverts to Pre-Primary Level
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Attention to U.S. Election Reverts to Pre-Primary Level

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PoliticsWASHINGTON, D.C.-- With former Vice President Joe Biden effectively securing the 2020 Democratic nomination in early April and the COVID-19 crisis eclipsing news about the election, Americans' attention to the presidential campaign has waned. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. adults polled April 14-28, down from 67% in mid-February, said they had given "quite a lot" of thought to the upcoming election for president.Americans' attention to the campaign is now essentially back to the level recorded from last August through mid-January, before the presidential primaries got underway. At that time, about 60% consistently gave it quite a lot of thought.The 59% of Americans who are currently attentive to the campaign is lower than Gallup found at a similar point in 2016 (75% in mid-May) as well as 2008 (75% in mid-April), but is on par with mid-April 2004 (63%). Far fewer were focused on the 2000 campaign in late April 2000 (39%).By contrast, Americans' level of was on the high end for that month in recent election years.Since February, the percentage giving quite a lot of thought to the election has slipped among both major party groups, falling seven percentage points to 59% among Republicans (including independents who lean Republican) and nine points to 63% among Democrats and Democratic leaners.Democrats' attention to the election is now similar to that group's level in January, while Republicans' is lower than in January and February.Meanwhile, Americans' enthusiasm for voting hasn't shifted much in the past two months but is down from earlier readings.Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults in the late April poll said they are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, similar to the 59% recorded in February. The figure was above 60% in January and in October 2019, before ballots were cast in presidential primaries and caucuses.Enthusiasm has declined since January among both party groups -- down six points among Republicans (to 62%) and down seven points among Democrats (to 54%).Gallup does not have many readings on voter enthusiasm from April of prior election years, but an analysis of the available trends from February through June indicates today's level of enthusiasm is fairly normal. Enthusiasm tends to increase as the campaign progresses, with more than 60% typically feeling "more enthusiastic" than usual by the fall. The 2016 election was an exception, with historically low enthusiasm among both party groups.While far from disengaged in the 2020 presidential election, Republicans and Democrats are less tuned in than they were in February, when the Democratic primaries and President Donald Trump's election rallies were in full swing, and the coronavirus was still confined to certain areas of the world and not a global pandemic or a crisis for the U.S.Gallup's "thought given to the election" question has historically been a valuable tool in predicting turnout levels, based on the final pre-election reading. If the election were held today, the measure would not point toward a turnout advantage for either party.Rather than a turnout indicator, Gallup's enthusiasm measure has been more useful for indicating which party is likely to win an election, . Members of the party that ultimately wins the presidency or House majority often express greater enthusiasm about voting heading into the election than do members of the losing candidate's party. It's likely this is a result of partisans picking up on news coverage or other cues about who is projected to win. Here, Republicans hold the slight edge today, with 62% feeling more enthusiastic than usual about voting, compared with 54% of Democrats. However, both parties' enthusiasm is dampened from its recent highs and could continue to shift throughout the campaign, particularly if either Biden or Trump pulls way ahead in the polls..Learn more about how the works.Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 14-28, 2020, with a random sample of 1,016 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.May 12, 2020Most Americans favor voting by mail in November, but half say voter fraud would increase.May 11, 2020Americans consider it very important that a number of requirements be met before they are willing to resume their normal activities.May 8, 2020The overall life ratings of Americans now match their lowest recorded level, but daily stress and worry have improved slightly since March.Read short summaries of Gallup's ongoing research into how Americans are experiencing the pandemic, with links to full analysis.+1 202.715.3030

PoliticsWASHINGTON, D.C.-- With former Vice President Joe Biden effectively securing the 2020 Democratic nomination in early April and the COVID-19 crisis eclipsing news about the election, Americans' attention to the presidential campaign has waned. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. adults polled April 14-28, down from 67% in mid-February, said they had given "quite a lot" of thought to the upcoming election for president.Americans' attention to the campaign is now essentially back to the level recorded from last August through mid-January, before the presidential primaries got underway. At that...

Attention to U.S. Election Reverts to Pre-Primary Level

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