SEPTEMBER HARVARD-CAPS HARRIS POLL: BIDEN APPROVAL REMAINS UNDERWATER BUT DEMOCRATS ARE EVEN IN THE MIDTERMS

OVERTURN OF ROE VS. WADE INCREASES LIKELIHOOD TO VOTE DEMOCRATIC, BUT STUDENT DEBT RELIEF HAS LITTLE NET EFFECT ON DEMOCRATS' OUTLOOK

MOST AMERICANS WANT A NEUTRAL SPECIAL MASTER AFTER DOJ'S TRUMP RAID AND THEY OPPOSE BIDEN CALLING MAGA REPUBLICANS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO THE COUNTRY  

NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the September Harvard-CAPS Harris Poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll.

President Joe Biden's approval rating remains underwater at 41% and inflation is still the biggest concern for voters, over half of whom say the Inflation Reduction Act is more likely to increase rather than decrease inflation. But the midterms are competitive, with the Congressional ballot split at 51% Democrat, 49% Republican.

Results also show the FBI's raid of Donald Trump's residence has not hurt the standing of the former president, whom voters would still pick in a presidential election over Joe Biden if the 2024 election were held today,. Americans are evenly split on whether the raid was politically motivated, but a clear majority, 58%, think appointing a special master to review the documents taken by the Department of Justice's is reasonable.

Other topics surveyed in this month's poll include voter views on Biden's Philadelphia speech and his criticism of MAGA Republicans, which is seen as divisive; the president's student debt cancellation which has received a lukewarm reception ahead of the midterms; and voters' call for a special prosecutor to investigate the Hunter Biden laptop story. Download key results here.

"The dynamics for a Republican surge are here but the Democrats have held the dam as the midterms remain a dead heat," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard-CAPS Harris Poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "The Democrats' most recent moves may have killed their momentum, though, as most Americans disapproved of Biden's speech calling MAGA Republicans a threat to the country. His executive order cancelling student debt has not attracted new voters, either. Americans want less politicization, not more."

• Biden's approval has ticked up slightly to 41% as voter sentiment on his administration's handling of inflation and unemployment improve.
• The generic Congressional ballot remains tight, 51-49 in favor of the Democrats.
• Inflation remains the biggest concern for both Democrats and Republicans, followed by abortion rights for Democrats and immigration for Republicans.
• The Inflation Reduction Act faces skepticism: 53% of voters believe it will increase inflation.

• After the DOJ raided Mar-a-Lago, Trump is still the 2024 favorite: 6 in 10 GOP voters would pick Trump if the Republican presidential primary were held today. Trump would win the presidential election against Biden or Kamala Harris if it were held today.
• The raid is dividing Americans: Voters are evenly split on whether the Mar-a-Lago search was required by DOJ protocols or a politically motivated use of force, and whether the DOJ took more documents than the warrant allowed.
• Americans want the DOJ to use other methods: 60% think that if the DOJ wanted Trump's documents, it should have asked a judge to order it through open court rather than use a search warrant to seize them. 58% think the appointment of a special master to assess what the DOJ took is reasonable.

• Biden's September 1 speech in Philadelphia, in which he called Trump and MAGA Republicans a threat to the country, is viewed as divisive: 56% of voters, including 62% of Independents, opposed it.
• But Biden's new rhetoric may motivate the base: 73% of Democrats think it is not a gross exaggeration to say that there are tens of millions of dangerous MAGA Republicans.
• Most Americans want Biden to be a unifying figure: 60% say a speech such as his September Philadelphia address divides and holds back the country, and 55% think Biden should be unifying the country instead.
• More Americans are concerned about the socialist left rather than MAGA Republicans gaining power, 55-45.

• The Hunter Biden laptop story is not going away: 59% of Americans think the laptop story is genuine, not Russian disinformation. 63% of voters think the FBI helped suppress the story by telling tech companies it could be Russian disinformation.
• Americans are suspicious of the investigation process: 55% think the DOJ and FBI are slow-walking the Hunter Biden investigation to protect President Biden.
• 63% of voters think the DOJ should appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Biden laptop.

Americans are evenly split on Biden's cancellation of up to $20,000 of debt for couples making up to $250,000.

• Only 17% of Americans say they will be personally helped by the program.
• Voters are skeptical of Biden's method: 56% think it was wrong of Biden to act without Congress, and 52% think his executive order will ultimately be deemed unconstitutional.
• Debt relief is having little net effect on voters' likelihood to vote Democratic: 35% say it will make them more likely to vote blue, but 37% say it will make them less likely.

The September Harvard-CAPS Harris Poll survey was conducted online within the United States from September 7-8, 2022, among 1,854 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS Harris Poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. 

The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

The Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) is committed to and fosters the interdisciplinary study of U.S. politics.  Governed by a group of political scientists, sociologists, historians, and economists within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, CAPS drives discussion, research, public outreach, and pedagogy about all aspects of U.S. politics. CAPS encourages cutting-edge research using a variety of methodologies, including historical analysis, social surveys, and formal mathematical modeling, and it often cooperates with other Harvard centers to support research training and encourage cross-national research about the United States in comparative and global contexts. More information at https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/.

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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.