LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — President-elect Donald Trump’s popularity is on the rise and the voters who went against him think World War III is likely.
A post-election poll by Emerson College Polling/8 News Now/The Hill reflects the nation’s attitudes in the weeks following Trump’s wide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, with Republicans riding high and Democrats bemoaning the loss they didn’t see coming.
But along with opinions on Trump’s cabinet nominees, the poll also found some common ground: Americans value family, friendships, and their health.
“Shared values among Democrats and Republicans suggests that, despite political divides, the holidays provide opportunities for unity, as these core priorities transcend partisan lines and highlight our shared human experiences of togetherness,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. The poll found 54.5% ranked family and relationships at the top of their priorities, followed by health and wellness (19.4%). Faith and community both ranked above concerns for financial security and food.
And a whole lot of people believe Earth has been visited by aliens. The belief is on the rise: 36.7% of voters believe aliens have visited the Earth, a 12-point increase from 2022. On the other side, 35.8% do not believe aliens have visited the Earth, down from 39% in 2022, the poll found.
Mostly, the poll stuck to politics. The survey of 1,000 voters found 53.7% view Trump favorably (34.4% very favorable, 19.34% somewhat favorable), while 46.3% view Trump unfavorably (37.6% very unfavorable, 8.7% somewhat unfavorable).
The national poll surveyed a sample consisting of 34.2% Independent/other voters, 33.7% Republican voters, and 32.1% Democratic voters.
“Trump’s favorability varies significantly by gender, race, and age,” Kimball said. “Men view Trump most favorably at 61%, compared to 48% of women. White voters view Trump favorably at 59%, Hispanics at 53%, and Black voters at 28%.”
“Trump’s strongest age cohort is among voters in their 40s and 50s, with 60% viewing him
favorably, compared to 48% among those over 70. Notably, his favorability has risen among
younger voters, with 55% of those under 30 expressing a favorable opinion.” Voters were asked how surprised they were, if at all, by the 2024 election results. Overall, 46.4% were surprised, while 53.6% were not surprised.
Questions about Trump’s cabinet choices showed the public agreed with the decision to move away from the choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Gaetz had relatively little strong support — less than half of the strong opposition. And while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some strong opposition for the post of secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, he has strong support from a nearly equal number of voters.
Trump’s choices of Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Tulsi Gabbard for director of National Intelligence, Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, and Dr. Mehmet Oz as Medicare and Medicaid administrator were viewed as less controversial.
Looking ahead to potential candidates in 2028, the Emerson Poll found 23% of Republicans named Trump, despite his ineligibility for a third term. The poll classified those responses as undecided. That meant that 51.1% of Republicans are undecided, with 29.6% supporting Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). Others who received support included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (5.2%), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (2.8%), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (1.7%) and Robert Kennedy Jr. (1.5%).
Democrats (36.5%) aligned behind Kamala Harris, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (6.6%) and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (3.5%) also drawing attention. Another 34.7% remain undecided, and some are supporting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (3.2%), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (2.6%), former first lady Michelle Obama (1.7%) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) (1.6%).
A plurality of registered voters, 39.3%, believe there will be another world war, while 25.5% do not. Another 35.2% are not sure. The poll found 46% of Harris voters believe it is likely, compared to 33% of Trump voters.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating in the Emerson Poll dropped to a four-year low of 36.0%, while his disapproval remained steady at 51.9%.
The economy remained the dominant issue for voters after the election (34.5%), followed by immigration (15.5%), threats to democracy (13.3%), health care (7.4%), and housing affordability (6.6%).
The poll, conducted Nov. 22-24, had a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
