Confidence in Harris’s ability to handle top issues growing among US adults: Survey

Americans’ confidence in Vice President Harris’s ability to handle the country’s most pressing issues has seen a sizable bump in the days since President Biden bowed out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris as his replacement, according to a new survey .

The latest YouGov poll, released Monday, shows Harris improved her performance by at least 4 percentage points in nearly every category when Americans were asked to say which candidate — Harris or former President Trump — they trusted more to handle a variety of topics.

Pollsters noted that, before Biden announced his decision to exit the race, Harris’s performance was largely tied to the president. The latest poll is the first YouGov conducted after the incumbent’s withdrawal.

Harris’s largest gains in the survey came in relation to LGBTQ issues , crime and the environment .

Roughly 52 percent of Americans say they trust Harris to handle LGBTQ issues, compared to 21 percent who trust Trump. The results mark a 9-point increase from a similar survey published July 19, which showed Harris with 43 percent trust and the former president with 22 percent.

In a July 1 poll surveying Biden’s performance against Trump’s, the president performed similarly — 44 percent said they trusted Biden’s handling of LGBTQ issues compared to 23 percent who said the same of Trump.

On crime, 36 percent showed confidence in Harris, and 43 percent say they trust the former president. That’s a sizable improvement from the July 19 poll, when 29 percent trusted the vice president and 41 percent trusted Trump. In the July 1 survey, 28 percent trusted Biden and 42 percent trusted Trump, according to the latest poll’s analysis.

On the environment, 47 percent of survey respondents say they trust Harris, compared to the 28 percent who chose Trump. In the July 19 poll, 41 percent trusted Harris and 30 percent trusted Trump. In the July 1 poll, 42 percent trusted Biden and 29 percent trusted the former president.

Harris’s strongest category is on abortion : 48 percent say they trust her to handle the issue, compared to 30 percent who trust Trump. On July 19, 43 percent said they trusted the vice president, compared to 31 percent who trusted the former president, On July 1, 39 percent trusted Biden and 34 percent trusted Trump.

Harris also narrowed the performance gap against Trump on foreign policy . In the latest poll, 37 percent said they trust Harris, while 41 percent backed Trump. In the July 19 poll, 32 percent said Harris’s handling of the issues would best Trump, who garnered only 44 percent trust. In the July 1 poll, 32 percent trusted Biden and 42 percent trusted the GOP nominee.

Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, has been enjoying an enthusiasm boost since support in the party has coalesced behind her candidacy in the past week.

The YouGov survey was conducted Wednesday through Friday and included 1,143 U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 4 percentage points.

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