Poll finds that majority of Americans believe Trump is unprepared to accept election outcome

Most Americans say they and Kamala Harris alike are prepared to accept the outcome of the 2024 presidential election as legitimate. Donald Trump, not so much.

Eighty-one percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll say that regardless of which candidate they support, they are prepared to accept the outcome of the election. Fewer, but still 68%, see Harris as prepared to accept the outcome. Just 29% say the same about Trump.

Nearly all of Harris’ supporters, 92%, say they personally are prepared to accept the outcome. That declines to 76% of Trump’s supporters. Instead, 21% of his supporters — which translates to 8% of all adults — are not prepared to do so.

Other, sharper political divisions inform views in this poll, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos. Just 6% of Harris’ supporters think Trump is prepared to accept the election outcome, rising to a still-mild 58% among his own supporters. Ninety-seven percent of Harris’ supporters think she is prepared to accept the outcome; among Trump’s supporters, only 44% think the same.

See PDF for full results.

Election integrity

Trump’s election denial claims resonate with some Americans.

One in three (34%) lacks confidence that votes in the election will be counted accurately, similar to the share who said so in 2022. Sixty-five percent are very or somewhat confident in an accurate count; just half of them, 32%, are very confident.

Moreover, an identical 34% think Joe Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election, little changed since his inauguration.

These views are strongly related: Nearly nine in 10 Americans who think Biden legitimately was elected are confident that votes will be counted accurately this year, dropping to 26% of those who think it wasn’t legitimate.

Views on election integrity also are associated with preparedness to accept the outcome. Among people who are confident that votes will be counted accurately, 92% say they are prepared to accept the outcome, versus 61% of those who lack confidence in the count. And 91% of those who think Biden was legitimately elected are prepared to accept this year’s outcome, versus 64% of those who think not.

Groups

There are wide gaps by partisanship in confidence in the vote count, with half of Republicans (51%) lacking confidence it will be accurate. Ninety percent of Democrats express confidence in the count, dropping to 64% of independents and just 48% of Republicans.

In a similar pattern, 96% of Democrats think Biden was legitimately elected; 66% of independents and just 30% of Republicans agree.

That said, partisan divisions in personal preparedness to accept the outcome this year are much milder. About eight in 10 Republicans (78%) and independents (81%) alike say they’ll accept it, as do 89% of Democrats.

Ideology is another factor: At least eight in 10 people who are liberal, moderate or somewhat conservative are prepared to accept the outcome, dropping to 64% among those who identify themselves as very conservative.

Just 38% of very conservatives are confident that votes will be counted accurately this year, rising to 50% of somewhat conservatives, 68% of moderates and 89% of liberals. And only 21% of very conservatives think Biden legitimately won in 2020; this doubles to 42% of somewhat conservatives, then jumps to 70% of moderates and 92% of liberals.

METHODOLOGY – This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® Aug. 23-27, 2024, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,496 adults. Partisan divisions are 29-29-30%, Democrats-Republicans-independents. Results have a margin of sampling error of 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 conducted by a leading research firm has revealed that a majority of Americans believe that President Donald Trump is unprepared to accept the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. The poll, which surveyed over 1,000 registered voters across the country, found that 62% of respondents expressed concerns about Trump’s willingness to peacefully transfer power if he were to lose the election.

These findings come at a time of heightened political tension and uncertainty, as the country gears up for what is expected to be a closely contested and highly contentious election. With Trump repeatedly casting doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in voting and raising the specter of widespread voter fraud, many Americans are worried about the potential for a disputed election result and the chaos that could ensue.

The poll also revealed a stark partisan divide on the issue, with 85% of Democrats expressing doubts about Trump’s willingness to accept the election outcome, compared to just 32% of Republicans. This divide underscores the deep polarization that currently exists in American politics, with each side increasingly viewing the other as a threat to democracy.

In response to these concerns, several prominent political figures and organizations have called on Trump to commit to a peaceful transition of power and respect the outcome of the election. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of upholding the democratic process and ensuring that every vote is counted.

In a statement released in response to the poll results, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign dismissed the findings as “fake news” and reiterated the president’s commitment to ensuring a fair and transparent election. However, many Americans remain skeptical of Trump’s intentions, particularly in light of his past statements and actions undermining confidence in the electoral process.

As the election draws closer, it is clear that the issue of Trump’s willingness to accept the outcome will continue to be a major point of contention. With tensions running high and the stakes higher than ever, it is crucial for all Americans to remain vigilant and uphold the principles of democracy in order to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power.