Skip to content
GIVING DAY is April 11! Starting now, you can support CSSH students and programs with a $5+ gift to any of our funds.
Apply
Stories

Third party voters unhappy with Trump’s covid-19 response are leaning Biden

People in this story

In a positive sign for Joe Biden days away from the presidential election, likely voters who preferred a candidate other than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in 2016—about 7 percent of all likely voters—are breaking three to one for the former vice president, according to a new study by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers.

The key driver of these voters’ choice: whether they believe that the federal government took the pandemic seriously enough. Among the voters in this group who now favor Biden, 86 percent say the federal government didn’t take enough action against the coronavirus, compared to only 11 percent of those who favor Trump. 

Those voting for Biden also reported much higher adherence to public health recommendations, the survey found. And they had much higher trust in Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, whom Trump has publicly challenged.

The survey also found that voters who supported Trump in 2016, but now favor Biden,  outnumber Clinton-to-Trump switchers two to one, netting roughly a 2 percent margin shift in the Democratic nominee’s favor. Again, the key factor is belief that the federal government inadequately responded to the pandemic.

Continue reading at News@Northeastern.

More Stories

image of new show

The hit series ‘Shogun’ is exposing more people to Japanese history. But how accurate is it?

03.28.2024
image of Trump Media & Technology Group stock market trading information is seen on a television at the Nasdaq Marketplace on March 26, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Is Trump Media & Technology Group a meme stock? Finance experts draw parallels to GameStop, crypto.

03.28.2024
image of dark silver iphone in hand with title

European regulators are cracking down on Alphabet, Apple and Meta. Will that have an impact on how their products work around the world?

03.28.24
All Stories