NEWPORT –
A new poll of 1,450 likely Rhode Island voters by Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy shows President Joe Biden with a 7 percentage point lead over former President Donald Trump.
Respondents answered questions about upcoming elections, polarization, U.S. democracy, news consumption habits and the job performance of Rhode Island state and federal officeholders.
According to the results released Tuesday, independent voters leaned heavily toward the Republican Trump, with 39% answering they will likely vote for the former president in November. One-quarter of independent voters plan to vote for Biden, a Democrat, and 17% support independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr., with the rest undecided.
On the state level, a strong majority (71%) disapprove of Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s job performance; two-thirds disapprove of his handling of the Washington Bridge crisis.
Only 8% of respondents "strongly approve" of McKee's overall performance; 6% said the same for Lt. Gov, Sabina Matos.
And 60% believe Rhode Island is heading in the wrong direction, including 72% of independents.
At 58%, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed had the highest net approval rating among the state’s congressional delegation. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's approval rating was 48%. Over 51% approved of U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner's job performance, followed by Rep. Gabe Amo at 42%. All four congressional members are Democrats.
The survey also revealed elevated levels of distrust in government institutions and mainstream media across the political spectrum. Respondents also expressed significant concern about untruthful or misleading information being spread in anticipation of the November election, with so-called “fake news” viewed as a primary contributor to political polarization.
More than two-thirds of both registered Democrats and Republicans remain "very concerned" about the impact of misleading information, the same percentage of overall respondents that think U.S. democracy “is not healthy at all.” Over 75% believe political polarization has increased over the previous year.
Democrats were more likely to worry about attempts to overturn election results, civil unrest and voter suppression. Republicans' top concerns were voter fraud, the misuse of mail-in ballots and inaccurate ballot counting.
Regarding news consumption, nearly three-quarters said they avoid the news "at least sometimes."
Other findings include nearly half of respondents expressing support for an independent inspector general in Rhode Island, which proponents tried and failed to implement during the most recent General Assembly session.
The poll was directed by Katie Sonder, a Pell Center fellow and the center’s associate director. In a statement, she said the survey results “paint a picture of a somewhat anxious electorate.
“Looking ahead to the next few months, most of us are concerned about obtaining accurate information and witnessing a peaceful transition of power through a free and trustworthy election process,” she said. “While we can highlight a shared belief that fair elections are a cornerstone of democracy, the level of distrust in the electoral processes is in of itself concerning.”
Fielded by Embold Research from June 5-14 via the internet and text messaging, the survey's reported margin of error was 2.8%
The poll was conducted as a part of the Pell Center's "Voices of Value" project. A similar survey was conducted in October 2023 that included questions on voters' views on the opposing party candidates and their media consumption.
That survey of 887 Rhode Island voters showed 87% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans viewed Trump and Biden as "threats to U.S. democracy," respectively. Overall, the results showed low levels of trust "that the government works in the best interest of the common citizen." And half of respondents believed U.S. democracy is unhealthy.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
So, a rabid conservative Catholic institution puts out a biased “poll” and the PBN doesn’t give a real institutional poll to show the bias? Polls have lost all meaning in the last several election cycles specifically because these right leaning institution push out phony polls to try and change the narrative. The media needs to give background on the institutions so the public can weigh the facts.