CBS News Poll: In debate, Democrats want a more forceful Biden, GOP wants a polite Trump; most want to hear about the problems

During Thursday’s debate, viewers especially want to hear about Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s plans for the country and their accomplishments. presidentmore than criticism of each other.

Some will also look at whether these men have the mental and cognitive health to serve (a concern that voters expressed to some extent about each of the candidates in the presidential election). previous polls).

Voters generally agree on What they want the candidates to say, but opinions differ on how they should say it. Democrats want Mr. Biden to take a more forceful tone, while Republicans want Trump to take a more polite tone.

In a contest where so many people have said they’ve already made up their minds, relatively few observers think they’ll see anything that might change their votes. Instead, more people will follow the results to see how the candidates perform. Some say they will watch to be entertained.

There are signs that Democrats are feeling more worried than Republicans. Democrats are not sure their candidate will “win” the debate. They think Mr. Biden needs to avoid mistakes, even more than Republicans think of Trump. And fewer Democrats than Republicans plan to watch the debate live.

There are about one in five voters who plan to attend the debate and are counting on the debate to help them decide who to vote for – this is more true of younger voters than older voters.

Respondents were allowed to express several reasons.

Whether they watch it live or not, voters across the country overwhelmingly think former President Trump should be more polite than forceful in the debate, and that includes a majority in his own party.

Most Democrats want to see Mr. Biden adopt a firm, rather than polite, tone.

More voters expect Asset will win the debate. Republicans are more confident about Trump’s victory than Democrats Biden.

Independents choose Trump over Biden to win the debate, by two to one, but just as many do not know who will win.

What should candidates do?

In general, voters think each candidate should accomplish many of the same things in this debate. It’s all about explaining their plans for the future. Partisans tend to think that their party’s presumptive nominee should inspire confidence.

Voters who think Biden should avoid mistakes outnumber those who think Trump should.

There are more Democrats saying that about Mr. Biden than Republicans saying that about Trump.

The economy, inflation, democracy, crime and borders are the main concerns of voters.so those listening to us may be looking for what the candidates have to say on these topics.

What impact could this have?

Relatively few people – about a third of those who plan to watch at least some of it – think there is a chance they could learn something from the debate that might change their views.

Who will watch?

About six in ten voters plan to watch all or part of the debate live; the rest say they will watch highlights or not talk about it much.

More Republicans than Democrats plan to watch it. Voters who think “a lot” about the presidential campaign are especially likely to tune in and watch the debate live.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,032 adult U.S. residents, including 1,514 registered voters, surveyed between June 24 and 26, 2024. The sample was weighted by based on gender, age, race and education based on the US Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past votes. The margin of error for the sample of registered voters is ±3.5 points.

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