In Australia, Harris gains at Trump’s expense
Australians’ support for Donald Trump, running for a second term as the Republican nominee in the US presidential election, has declined substantially since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democrats’ candidate, new polling from the Lowy Institute shows.
The polling reveals almost three-quarters of Australians (73%) say they would prefer Kamala Harris to become president of the United States, while less than one in four (22%) say they would prefer Donald Trump.
Six months ago, when the 2024 Lowy Institute Poll was fielded, 68 per cent of Australians said they would prefer Joe Biden to be re-elected as US president in the forthcoming election, while almost one in three (29%) said they would prefer to see Donald Trump return to the White House.
“There has been a clear change in the trajectory of Australians’ attitudes towards the candidates of the two parties,” said Ryan Neelam, the Director of the Institute’s Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program.
“Harris has gained five points on Biden’s rating, while Trump has lost seven points since March. Her surprise appointment has clearly come at Trump’s expense in the view of Australians.
“Australians also overwhelmingly favour Kamala Harris on key issues, including climate change, protecting the United States’ global reputation, Australia’s security, and the global economy.
“Despite consistent majorities in Australia siding with the Democratic candidate, Donald Trump remains the most popular Republican presidential nominee in the history of the Lowy Institute Poll, and he has above average support from One Nation and Coalition voters."
The Lowy Institute’s 2024 US Election Mini-Poll reports the results of a national survey of 2028 adults across Australia, conducted by the Social Research Centre between 2 and 16 September 2024.
Explore the full findings: https://poll.lowyinstitute.org/report/2024/us-election-mini-poll/
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