Harris Poll Chairman Mark Penn and Bob Cusack, Editor in Chief of The Hill explore and decipher the February Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll, conducted February 15-16 among 1,838 registered voters.
BIDEN HASN’T RECEIVED A BUMP FROM THE STATE OF THE UNION
- Biden’s State of the Union was received in a partisan manner: voters were split 50-50 on whether they found the speech favorable, and his approval rating remains at 42%.
- 35% of voters said they did not watch any of the speech.
- On Biden’s back-and-forth with Republicans on entitlements: 56% of voters believe Republican members of Congress are trying to cut Social Security and Medicare.
VOTERS CONTINUE TO WANT SPENDING CURBS INCLUDING SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
- Most voters continue to side with the Republicans on the looming debt ceiling fight: 62% want Congress to raise the limit only with spending constraints, and 63% think Democrats should negotiate.
- Voters acknowledge Medicare and Social Security can’t continue without change: 57% think Medicare and Social Security do need reforms to remain solvent.
NIKKI HALEY GETS SOME MOMENTUM
- Nikki Haley rises after her presidential campaign announcement although most voters are still not familiar with her: among GOP voters she rose to third place in a potential GOP primary that does not feature Trump.
- Ron DeSantis is slipping slightly: among GOP voters he dropped 10 points in a potential GOP primary without Trump although he is still the frontrunner.
- The GOP field is open: only 54% of Republican and Independent voters think Trump will win the GOP primary if he runs.
AMERICANS ARE CHINA HAWKS
- The shot-down surveillance balloon is a major concern to Americans: 66% of voters think it represented a challenge to US sovereignty by China.
- Americans thought Biden did too little in response: 63% think the Biden administration acted too slowly in shooting down the balloon.
- Americans also want more answers on the balloon and subsequent shot-down aerial objects: 82% support Congress investigating, and 75% want Biden to disclose what the administration knows.
- Americans are concerned about China’s aggression in other areas: 69% of voters think China is planning to invade Taiwan in the next 3 years.
AMERICANS DOUBT BIDEN ON FOREIGN POLICY ACROSS THE WORLD
- Biden’s foreign policy approval is low: 40% of voters think Biden has not done a good job on foreign policy including Afghanistan, Ukraine, and China – compared to 27% who think he has done a good job.
- 56% of voters think Biden is not up to handling challenges from China, Russia, and Iran.
AMERICANS STILL SUPPORT BIG TECH BUT ARE SUSPICIOUS OF TIKTOK
- 60-70% of voters do not want Big Tech companies (Google, Facebook, Amazon, or Microsoft) to be broken up.
- TikTok faces more suspicion: 59% of voters think TikTok spies on its US users.
- Voters are split on a full TikTok ban: 46% think TikTok should be allowed to operate in the US only if the app undergoes regular security reviews of its code base; 42% support a total ban.
- The FTC is seen as partisan: 48% of voters think it acts as a Democratic agency.
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