Poll shows voters questioning Kamala Harris’ ability to bring about change

Vice President Kamala Harris’ positioning as a change agent is running into headwinds from her role in the unpopular Biden administration: While three-quarters of Americans in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll want her to take a new direction from President Joe Biden’s, most don’t think she would.

Harris, moreover, trails former President Donald Trump in having provided enough details about the policies she’d pursue as president. But shortfalls on the vision thing aren’t hers alone: More than half say neither Trump nor Harris has done a good job expressing new ideas for the country’s future.

The poll, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos, finds that the public by a broad 74%-22% would prefer to see Harris go in a new direction as president rather than continue the policies of the Biden administration. Even most Democrats say so.

But that’s not what most people expect: 65% instead think Harris mainly would continue Biden’s policies, vs. 33% who say she’d chart a new course.

See PDF for full results.

Desire for change reflects how the Biden administration continues to labor under deeply negative ratings of its economic performance. Forty-four percent of Americans say they’re not as well off financially as they were when Biden took office, roughly where it’s been since early 2023 and tying the most in polling since 1986. Few, 18%, say they’re better off, though that’s up from 13% in January.

Harris’ vulnerability on the issue was underscored this week: Asked on ABC’s “The View” what she would have done differently than Biden during his presidency, she initially replied, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.” (She later said she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet.) Trump’s campaign pounced on the remark.

Trump, for his part, does better on preferences vs. expectations, although still with a gap between the two. Sixty-four percent think he’d continue the policies of his previous administration. More than half would prefer a new direction instead — but it’s 53% who say so, vs. the 74% looking for Harris to move away from Biden’s track.

Another way to assess these results is to see how many people are aligned in what they want and what they expect from the candidates. Trump does better: For 54%, what they want and what they expect from him are the same, be it continuity or change. Fewer, 48%, are aligned on Harris.

The big difference is that 32% both think Trump will continue his past policies and want him to do that, while just 18% both think Harris will continue Biden’s policies and want her to do that.

Partisan differences on these questions are telling, and again mark Biden’s unpopularity. Even among Democrats, just 36% want to see Harris continue the policies of the Biden administration. Sixty-three percent of Democrats want to see Harris take a new direction.

Across the aisle, these numbers are reversed: 65% of Republicans want to see Trump continue the policies of his previous administration, while just a third want a new direction. Among independents, moreover, twice as many want Trump to continue his policies as want Harris to continue Biden’s.

Policies and ideas

In terms of outlining their policies and expressing their vision, neither candidate shines. Just 37% say Harris has done enough to provide details about the policies she’d pursue as president; more, albeit only 42%, say the same about Trump. Five percentage points is a lead for Trump, but a narrow one given his longtime dominance in the national spotlight.

On vision, there’s virtually no difference overall: The public by 53%-46% rates Harris negatively, rather than positively, on having new ideas for the country’s future. It’s a similar 54%-44% for Trump.

Trump is in worse shape than Harris on this measure in terms of intensity of sentiment. Thirty-nine percent say he’s done a downright poor job on new ideas, compared with 31% who say this about Harris. Across the intensity spectrum, far fewer say either has done an excellent job in the new ideas department — 20% for Trump, 18% for Harris.

Political allegiance is a powerful factor here, evidence of how people assess candidates through a partisan filter. Ninety-one percent of Democrats rate Harris positively on new ideas; 10% of Republicans agree. These numbers flip on Trump: 89% positive from Republicans, 8% from Democrats.

Independents rate the candidates essentially equally on new ideas. On doing enough to detail their policies, however, Trump does 7 points better than Harris among independents (though neither does well, 40% vs. 33%), contributing to his overall 5-point advantage in this gauge.

Methodology

This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® Oct. 4-8, 2024, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,631 adults. Partisan divisions are 29%-29%-30%, Democrats-Republicans-independents. Results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, including the design effect, for the full sample. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.

The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, with sampling and data collection by Ipsos. See details on ABC News’ survey methodology here.

A recent poll has revealed that voters are beginning to question Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to bring about significant change in the country. The poll, conducted by a reputable research firm, surveyed a diverse group of voters from across the political spectrum and found that a growing number of respondents were skeptical of Harris’ effectiveness in her role as Vice President.

One of the key reasons cited by voters for their doubts about Harris’ ability to bring about change was her perceived lack of concrete accomplishments since taking office. Many voters expressed frustration with what they saw as a lack of progress on key issues such as healthcare, immigration, and racial justice. Some also pointed to Harris’ handling of the crisis at the southern border as evidence of her shortcomings as a leader.

Additionally, voters raised concerns about Harris’ perceived lack of experience and qualifications for the role of Vice President. While Harris has a long history of public service, including serving as Attorney General of California and a U.S. Senator, some voters questioned whether she had the necessary skills and experience to effectively lead the country.

Despite these doubts, some voters expressed optimism about Harris’ potential to bring about change in the future. Many pointed to her historic role as the first female Vice President and the first person of color to hold the office as evidence of her ability to break barriers and effect positive change.

In response to the poll results, Harris’ supporters have emphasized her commitment to addressing key issues facing the country and her dedication to working towards a more equitable and just society. They have also highlighted her efforts to engage with communities across the country and listen to the concerns of ordinary Americans.

As Vice President, Kamala Harris faces a challenging road ahead as she seeks to build support and enact meaningful change. The results of this poll serve as a reminder of the high expectations placed on Harris as a historic figure in American politics, and the need for her to demonstrate tangible progress in order to win over skeptical voters. Only time will tell whether Harris is able to overcome these doubts and fulfill her promise as a transformative leader.