A 53 percent majority of white voters approve of Trump’s response to the virus, while only 23 percent of Black voters agree, according to the Hill-HarrisX poll released Wednesday.
The poll found that 65 percent of Hispanic voters disapproved, while disapproval was at 74 percent among voters of “other” races. The president’s overall pandemic approval rating was 45 percent, up 3 percent from July.
Older voters largely disapproved of Trump’s response, with 58 percent of those age 50 and over disapproving. A 55 percent majority of the youngest demographic, ages 18-34, also disapproved. Trump’s response was approved of by 52 percent of voters aged 35-39, which other polls indicate is the sole age group to give the president a positive overall job approval rating.
Women were significantly more likely to disapprove of Trump’s response, with only 39 percent approving. The poll found that a slight majority of men approved, 52 percent. Multiple polls have consistently shown that women are also less likely than men to approve of the president overall.
Voters with college degrees were slightly more likely than those without degrees to give Trump a positive pandemic approval rating, 48 percent compared to 44 percent. However, a plurality of respondents in both groups said they “strongly disapprove.”
A bigger divide was shown along income lines, with a 52 percent majority of voters earning over $75,000 per year approving of the president’s response compared to only 40 percent of those who earned less.
Where voters lived was also a significant factor. The South was the only region where a majority of voters approved, 52 percent. Voters residing in the West were least likely to approve, with a 61 percent majority disapproving.
The poll found an identical 61 percent share of voters located in suburbs disapproved, while a 53 percent majority of rural voters approved. Urban voters were nearly evenly split, 51 percent disapproving and 49 percent approving.
The biggest factor in determining whether voters approved of Trump’s handling of the virus, and perhaps the least surprising, was identifying as a Republican or Democrat. An 81 percent majority of Republicans approved, while only 19 percent of Democrats agreed. Among Independent or “other” voters, 60 percent disapproved.
The poll was conducted among 2,804 registered voters online between September 18 and September 21. It has a margin of error of 1.9 percent.
The pandemic is seen by many political observers as Trump’s weakest issue in the presidential election, while multiple polls have also suggested that it is the top issue for a majority of voters. An average of polls shows Trump with a pandemic approval rating of 40 percent as of Wednesday, according to polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
