Three weeks before the presidential election in the United States, the gap in voting intentions is widening, Democrat Joe Biden having a 12-point lead over Republican Donald Trump, according to the latest Leger poll.
VOTING INTENTIONS
► Joe Biden: 54%
► Donald Trump: 42%
► Is your choice final? Yes : 96% No : 4%
“For a month, Biden has taken one point ahead per week on average,” explains Jean-Marc Léger, president of the firm Léger. Twelve points is a big lead. ”
The voters’ positions are also very firm.
“Ninety-six percent of people say it’s their final choice. In my entire career as a pollster, this is unheard of, ”said Mr. Léger.
Here is an overview of the hot topics of the Léger poll:
In the United States, a majority doubt the vaccine against COVID-19.
Even if a vaccine were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it would be free, only 47% of Americans would intend to be vaccinated, 29% would refuse to be vaccinated, while 24% are undecided. .
Across the border, 63% of Canadians intend to get vaccinated if a COVID-19 vaccine is approved and free.
The central element of the campaign for the presidency is the pandemic, shows the poll: 63% of Americans believe that the primary stake is to decrease the spread of the coronavirus while 37% believe that it is rather the economy.
“His catastrophic management of the pandemic, that’s what weighs down the voting intentions towards Trump,” said Mr. Léger.
According to daily figures The New York Times, there are just under 8 million cases in the United States and more than 215,000 people have died from the virus, as of yesterday, making it the most damaged country in the world.
While Trump battled a COVID-19 infection, the characteristics used to describe his decisions and actions did not work in his favor.
He was seen as very reckless as well as a danger to others by 44% of Americans.
However, the third believes he was “strong” and presented himself as a leader.
More than half of Americans (56%) have a negative perception of Donald Trump, according to this poll. This marks a difference between the 2016 election and this one, said Léger.
“At the time, Democrat Hillary Clinton was hated even more than Trump. Many voted against her and not for Donald Trump, ”he explains.
This could work in favor of Joe Biden, whose opinion towards him is rather divided.
Despite a disastrous debate, tax evasion, questionable management of the pandemic as well as several lies, Trump is not losing points with his loyal electorate.
“For three months, he has nearly 42% of the voting intentions,” notes Mr. Léger, adding that the undecided and the separatists are lining up more and more behind Biden.
METHODOLOGY
The web survey was conducted by the firm Léger from October 9 to 11, 2020 among 1,539 Canadians and 1,000 Americans, aged 18 or over, recruited randomly to ensure a representative sample.