A new survey shows that with less than a week until Election Day, most Americans are feeling discouraged and anxious.
According to a survey released by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Thursday, 69% of American adults say they are “frustrated” with the current election cycle. An equal number of people reported feeling “anxious” due to the ongoing campaigns.
Additionally, 36% of respondents stated that the 2024 election cycle has made them feel “excited”. Around 75% of Americans also mentioned that the election has piqued their interest.
The backdrop to these findings is a highly polarized presidential election, with unexpected events such as President Biden’s withdrawal from the race and two assassination attempts on former President Trump. Trump and Vice President Harris have limited time to convince voters, mainly in seven key battleground states.
According to the poll, some groups are even more anxious compared to 2020. Roughly 80% of Democrats expressed anxiety about the upcoming election, slightly higher than last year’s 75%. About two-thirds of Republicans in 2024 reported similar levels of anxiety, up from 60% in 2020.
The data also shows that only about half of independent voters are feeling anxious, remaining consistent with 2020.
Furthermore, emotions surrounding this high-stakes election could lead to conflicts among friends and family, potentially causing some individuals to be less loyal to those they support.
The latest Axios Vibes survey by the Harris Poll showed that approximately 48% of Generation Z voters (born between 1997 and 2012) admitted to previously “lying” to close ones about which candidate they voted for, leading to feelings of guilt.
The competition between the presidential candidates is fiercer than ever, with sharp rhetoric. During an event near the White House on the Ellipse, Harris criticized Trump as “unstable, obsessed with revenge, full of resentment, and relentlessly pursuing unchecked power”.
In response, Trump, at an event held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, accused Harris of “erasing” the nation’s borders, “destroying the middle class”, bringing “bloodshed and filth” to major cities, and causing “wars and chaos around the world… Anyone who causes so much destruction and death at home and abroad should not be allowed to be President of the United States”.
According to polling averages from decision desk HQ, Harris is leading her Republican opponent with 48.3% to 47.7% support, making the outcome of the election uncertain.
The AP-NORC survey was conducted from October 24th to 28th among 1233 American adults with a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.