Three-quarters of voters, including half of Democrats, express reservations about President Joe Biden’s mental and physical health, according to the latest national NBC News poll[^1^]. These concerns about Biden’s well-being surpass the worries voters had about former President Donald Trump’s legal challenges and his health[^1^].
A Democratic poll respondent from Wisconsin, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated, “I think that Biden’s health and age kind of hinder his ability to be an effective president of the United States, despite voting for him in 2020″[^1^].
Unchanged Concerns
The poll findings remain consistent with those from September, when the NBC News survey initially addressed these concerns. At that time, more people expressed apprehension about Biden’s age (now 81) compared to the worries surrounding Trump’s legal issues, despite Trump being 77 years old[^1^].
48% of respondents to the poll voiced concerns regarding Trump’s mental and physical fitness to serve a second term[^1^].
Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey alongside Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, noted that consecutive months of focusing on Trump’s legal troubles did not alter these figures. Instead, attention shifted to President Biden’s mental and physical health[^1^].
Overwhelming Concerns
In the latest poll, a combined 76% of voters expressed major concerns (62%) or moderate concerns (14%) about Biden’s suitability for a second term, in terms of mental and physical health[^1^]. Conversely, 24% had minor concerns (13%) or no concerns at all (11%)[^1^].
Broken down by party, 95% of Republican voters, 81% of independents, and surprisingly, 54% of Democrats expressed major or moderate concerns over Biden’s fitness for a second term[^1^].
Comparatively, 61% of all voters expressed major concerns (51%) or moderate concerns (10%) about Trump’s legal battles and allegations of wrongdoing, including felony charges aiming to overturn the 2020 election[^1^]. Meanwhile, 39% had minor concerns (11%) or no concerns at all (28%)[^1^].
Notably, 95% of Democrats, 65% of independents, and 27% of Republicans expressed major or moderate concerns regarding Trump’s felony charges and legal challenges[^1^].
Impact on Voting Decisions
Democratic pollster Horwitt observed that concerns about Biden’s age did not appear to influence voting choices to the same extent as worries about Trump’s legal issues. Despite major concerns about Biden’s age, he still managed to secure 17% of votes from individuals who harbored such concerns. In contrast, only 10% of voters who expressed major concerns about Trump’s trials supported him[^1^].
Moreover, the NBC News poll discovered that a combined 59% of voters had concerns about Biden’s awareness of or involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings[^1^].
The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters, with 867 respondents contacted via cellphone, and took place between January 26 and 30. The poll’s overall margin of error stands at plus or minus 3.1 percentage points[^1^].
Source link: F5mag.com
[^1^]: NBC News