Voters overwhelmingly think America needs a new direction, and don’t believe they’ll get it if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election.
The last week's Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey found that 73% of Likely U.S. Voters say, when considering the general conditions in the country, America needs a fresh start and a new direction. Just 20% feel the country needs more of the same.
Last week’s survey is particularly bad for Harris in light of yesterday’s September 23, 2024, poll that found that 68% of Likely U.S. Voters say that, in deciding their vote for president, the candidate’s policy agenda matters most. Eighteen percent (18%) say the candidate’s personality and character matter most, while 11% say what matters most is the candidate’s party.
Only 37% of those polled in last week’s poll believe Harris offers a fresh start and a new direction, while 58% think she’s offering more of the same. By comparison, 52% say Trump offers America a fresh start and a new direction, while 39% believe he is offering more of the same.
The survey of 1,238 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on September 10-12, 2024 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.
Sixty percent (60%) of voters believe the nation is headed down the wrong track. Among those voters, 78% say Harris offers America more of the same, while 74% think Trump is offering a fresh start and a new direction.
Democrats (60%) are less likely than Republicans (84%) or voters not affiliated with either major party (76%) to believe the country needs a fresh start and a new direction.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans, 36% of Democrats and 62% of unaffiliated voters say Harris offers more of the same. Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans, 23% of Democrats and 54% of unaffiliated voters think Trump is offering America a fresh start and a new direction.
There is not much of a “gender gap” on these questions, although slightly more women voters (39%) than men (34%) believe Harris offers a fresh start and a new direction.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of whites, 71% of black voters, 69% of Hispanics and 76% of other minorities say the country needs a fresh start and a new direction. Black voters are more likely to view Harris as offering a fresh start.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters 65 and older think Trump offers the country a fresh start, compared to 54% of those ages 40-64 and 45% of voters under 40.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters earning less than $30,000 are most likely to say America needs a fresh start and a new direction. Those with annual incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 are most likely to believe Trump is offering a fresh start.
Since being appointed the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in July, Vice President Kamala Harris has only granted one major media interview. Most voters think she should do more.
2024 Election
Kamala Harris campaign
2024 polls
Joe Biden
New direction
likely voters
More of the same
policy agenda
candidate personality
Donald Trump
Fresh start
gender gap