Ahead of 2020 Election and Amid Multiple Crises, Trump and Biden Supporters See Different Realities and Futures for the Nation

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) today released its 11th annual American Values Survey, a national survey of 2,538 Americans. The full report and methodology are available at PRRI.org.

The American Values Survey focuses on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the widespread protests over racial justice; the public's views of the presidential candidates; their attitudes toward pressing issues such as health care, racial inequality and discrimination, immigration, abortion, LGBTQ rights, and climate change; and their confidence in the fairness and reliability of the upcoming elections.

"As we head into the 2020 election during an unprecedented year of multiple crises, including a pandemic that has killed over 215,000 Americans and widespread protests for racial justice, Republicans and Democrats seem to be living in different countries," noted PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones. "Republicans see terrorism and crime as the most pressing issues, while Democrats are more concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, health care, and racial inequality."

This year's survey reveals that:

• Just over one-third of Americans (35%)—including nearly eight in ten Republicans (78%) but only seven percent of Democrats—approve of how President Donald Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic, while 65% disapprove.
• Seniors (ages 65 and older) are more than twice as likely to say they trust Joe Biden (42%) rather than Trump (18%) to give them accurate information and advice about the coronavirus pandemic.
• Among white Americans with college degrees, 68% of women and 59% of men believe that Trump's speech and behavior have encouraged white supremacist groups.
• Only 18% of Americans are very confident that the election will be conducted fairly and accurately. Almost half (49%) are somewhat confident, and one-third (33%) of Americans report no confidence at all that the election will be conducted fairly and accurately.
• Daylight is emerging between the groups that comprise Trump's white Christian base. Three in four white evangelical Protestants (76%) approve of the job Trump is doing as president, compared to 52% of white mainline Protestants and 49% of white Catholics.

About PRRI
PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.

SOURCE PRRI