74% of US Voters Say "First Presidential Debate Important for Election Outcome"

AP News·University of Chicago Polling Center Survey
Virtual Matchup Support Rates: Trump 48%·Biden 45%

More than seven out of ten American voters believe that the first presidential TV debate on the 27th (local time) will be a major turning point that could determine the election outcome.

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC) from the 20th to the 24th, among 1,088 voters surveyed, 74% of respondents said the debate is very or somewhat important for President Joe Biden's campaign success.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents also said the debate is important for former President Donald Trump's campaign success.

Among undecided voters, 64% said the debate is important for President Biden's campaign success, while 56% said the same for former President Trump.

Additionally, 68% of all respondents expressed high interest by saying they are likely to watch all or part of the TV debate live. Seventy percent said they are likely to evaluate the first TV debate.

Favorability ratings for the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates remain low.

President Biden's favorability rating was 39%, while former President Trump's was 38%. Satisfaction with the candidates being nominated was 24% for Biden and 30% for Trump. Among Democratic supporters, 42% were satisfied with their party's candidate, while 59% of Republican supporters were satisfied with theirs. Dissatisfaction was reported by 38% of Democratic supporters and 26% of Republican supporters.

Meanwhile, ahead of the first presidential TV debate, President Biden's approval rating trails that of former President Trump. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted from the 20th to the 24th among 1,600 people showed that Trump led Biden by 3 percentage points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, with Trump receiving 48% support compared to Biden's 45%.