On Election Eve, Majority Of Voters Deeply Dissatisfied With Biden-Harris Years: TIPP Tracking Poll

As most know, reading the tea leaves about who will win an election by looking only at political preference polls can be difficult. Polls jump around, and people often don’t want others to know who they will vote for. But there is a way around that: Ask people how they feel about their own lives. The TIPP Tracking Poll did just that, asking voters how they’re doing under the Biden-Harris administration. Not well, it turns out.

In a national online survey taken from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, the TIPP Tracking Poll asked a series of four questions to 1,603 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points. The responses suggest a majority of Americans harbor deep disappointments over the path the nation has traveled since the outbreak of COVID.

But it’s a split majority: Registered Democrats continue to express positive feelings about both the Biden-Harris administration and the general direction of the country. Republicans and independent/third-party voters remain mostly dissatisfied.

The first question asked simply: “Are you better off now compared to your situation pre-COVID?”

A majority of 54% said “no,” while 36% answered “yes.” Another 10% responded “not sure.”

But a closer look reveals two very different views, based on party affiliation. Among Democrats, 56% said they were better off now than before COVID, while only 34% felt they were worse off, with 10% not sure.

They inhabit a different mental universe than those in the other two major political groupings. For Republicans, 69% said they were worse off, versus 23% saying they were better off and 8% not sure. Independents weren’t far behind at 62% “worse,” 27% “better” and 11% unsure.

With apologies to Charles Dickens, it’s “A Tale Of Two Americas.”

Digging further in, TIPP asked voters: “In general, how SATISFIED are you with the direction the country is going in at this time?”

Once again, overall the numbers are dismal, with just 34% saying they were either “very satisfied” (12%) or “somewhat satisfied” (22%). But a hefty 63% reported being either “not very” satisfied (24%) or “not at all” satisfied (38%).

And yes, again, the political schism seen now daily across the nation and in the legacy media was once again visible in the data. Of Democrats, 61% said they were satisfied, compared to only 34% responding they were not satisfied.

That’s the polar opposite of Republicans (14% satisfied, 85% dissatisfied) and independents/third-party voters (26% satisfied, 70% dissatisfied.)

The poll now opens up to ask voters to assess, in general terms, how former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden and his vice president and current presidential candidate Kamala Harris have performed.

Specifically, TIPP asked first: “Are Biden and Harris’s policies helping or hurting your family?” and, second, “Did Trump’s policies help or hurt your family?”

On the first question, among all respondents, only 34% said that the Biden-Harris administration’s actions over the past nearly four years were “helping,” while a slender majority of 50% said they were “hurting.” Another 16% said they were “not sure.”

Yet once more, Democrats were out of step with the majority, as 73% said the Biden-Harris years were helping their families, compared to only 11% claiming to be hurting and 17% unsure.

The results make a 180-degree turn when the Republicans and indie voters were asked that question. A huge 86% majority of Republicans said the Biden-Harris policies were hurting their families, against just 5% who reported that those same policies were helping. Meanwhile, a 53% majority of indie voters were hurt, a 2-to-1 majority over the 25% who said they were being helped by the Biden-Harris policy matrix.

Last came basically the same question asked about Trump.

This time, a 48% plurality overall told the TIPP Tracking Poll that they had been helped by Trump’s policies in place from 2017 to early 2021, while only 37% said their families had been hurt. But the “hurt” response among Dems totaled 72%, while “help” got just 14%.

In comparison, a 44% plurality of independents reported being helped, about a quarter higher than the 35% responding their families were hurt by Trump policies. And again, GOP voters gave Trump high marks, with 86% saying they were helped, over only 5% claiming they were hurt.

The question is, how can the same people often living in the same communities come up with such entirely different views of what’s taken place over the past eight years?

Is it the relentlessly negative drumbeat of news items from a biased, left-leaning Big Media complex? That’s one possibility.

The conservative Media Research Center found in a recent survey of Big Three television news coverage that “The leftist media 2024 election coverage has been the most unfair in history with Donald Trump getting 85% negative coverage and Kamala Harris getting 78% positive coverage.”

This comports with longstanding complaints among center and right-of-center people of pervasive media bias.

In a recent video released on his X channel, former ABC News and Fox News correspondent John Stossel, a self-described libertarian (not a Republican), harshly criticized the big corporate media for their open anti-Trump, pro-Harris bias.

In introducing the video, which contained many examples, Stossel noted how “reporters suck up to Kamala Harris. ‘I am struck, just in your presence!’ one told her. Interviewing Republicans, the tone is very different.”

The recent flap over Biden calling Trump supporters “garbage” is a case in point. It came after a comedian warmup act at a Trump rally crudely called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” apparently a reference to the island’s recent trash crisis.

But Biden’s response was personal and aimed squarely at anyone, anywhere who supported Trump. The full quote: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his (Trump’s) supporters.”

Unfortunately, the so-called mainstream media went into full-on defensive mode for Biden, claiming he didn’t say what he clearly said, and helpfully adding an apostrophe between the “r” and the “s” in “supporters,” to make it say something entirely different.

Why the big deal? Because Trump supporters and others already have problems with the media misrepresenting them in particular and working-class Americans in general.

It’s class warfare. And part of that is telling people what to think, through pervasive media messaging and outright censorship of dissenting beliefs.

America’s university-educated elites, including the media, share little in common with those on the bottom rungs of the social and economic ladder. Increasingly, those elites have resorted to simply shutting up people who disagree with them, as this study shows.

Pick an active dispute in our society, whether it’s K-12 education, crime, inflation, abortion, religion, climate change, race, you name it. The pressure to conform to ideologically driven beliefs, pushed from above, has all the makings of a class war by the elites against the rest of us.

Americans are tired of that, as the TIPP Tracking Poll data show. The fact that Donald Trump remains viable as a presidential candidate after eight years of non-stop vituperation and at least two assassination attempts shows that average Americans are catching on to what’s happening.

I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past five presidential elections.

Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.

TIPP Tracking Day 22 – Trump And Harris In A Dead Heat Just Before Election Day - TIPP Insights

Electoral Showdown 2024: Latest Win Probabilities – November 4 - TIPP Insights

The Final Choice: Civilizational Arson Versus Civilizational Sanity - Josh Hammer, The Daily Signal

Her Father’s Daughter: Donald Harris’ Hidden Influence On Kamala - Paul Sperry, RealClearInvestigations

Yet Another Biden-Harris Jobs Con — Hopefully Their Last - Editorial Board, Issues & Insights

Here’s Why More Catholics May Vote For Trump - Mario Enzler & Kevin Mooney, The Daily Signal

Drug Cartels ‘Are Winning’: Border Crisis Ravaging Arizona, Montana Indian Reservations - Bennett Watts & Wilson Beaver, The Daily Signal

What Does Harris Think About The First Amendment? Her Record Screams: ‘Not Much.’ - Kristen Waggoner, The Daily Signal

TIPP Takes

Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More

1. Iran President Hints At Softer Response If Israel Agrees To Ceasefire - AFP

“If they (the Israelis) reconsider their behavior, accept a ceasefire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response,” Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said, quoted by state news agency IRNA.

He added that Iran “will not leave unanswered any aggression against its sovereignty and security,” according to the news agency.


2. Over 7,000 North Korean Troops Deployed Near Border With Ukraine, Armed With Rifles, Mortars - Yonhap

Kyiv's defense intelligence agency has said Russia appears to have deployed more than 7,000 North Korean soldiers, armed with AK-12 rifles, mortar rounds, and other assault weapons, to areas near the border with Ukraine.

North Korean soldiers are now undergoing training at five different sites in Russia's Far East for potential support of Russia's war in Ukraine, it noted.


3. Hungary’s Orban Says Trump Victory Would Force Europe To Rethink Support For Ukraine - Reuters

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Europe will need to rethink its support of Ukraine if Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, as the continent “will not be able to bear the burdens of the war alone.”

Orban opposes military aid to Ukraine and has made clear he thinks Trump shares his views and would negotiate a peace settlement for Ukraine. He backs former president Trump to beat Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s U.S. election.


4. Pro-Western Sandu Wins Second Term As Moldovan President - RFE/RL

Pro-Europe incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu has declared victory over Russia-friendly challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo, in balloting marred by accusations of Russian interference and voter fraud.

With 99.7 percent of ballots counted in the November 3 runoff vote, the Central Election Commission said Sandu had 55.35 percent of the vote to Stoianoglo’s 44.65 percent, a lead of almost 165,000 votes in preliminary results.


5. China’s Small Manufacturers Anguish Over Trump’s Tariff Plans - Al Jazeera

Businesses in China are worried about the Republican candidate’s plans to impose tariffs of 60 percent or more on imports.

The U.S. is the top destination for China’s exports, taking in more than $400bn worth of its goods each year. Economists have dubbed Trump’s plans “Tariff War 2.0” after the Republican imposed tariffs as high as 25 percent on a range of Chinese goods during his first term in office, prompting Beijing to announce its tariffs.


6. Spain's King And Queen Pelted With Mud In Flood-Hit Valencia - BBC

Shouts of "murderer" and "shame" were directed at the royal couple, Spain's prime minister, and other leaders as they walked through the town of Paiporta - one of the worst-affected in the region.

King Felipe was heckled by angry residents during the visit to Paiporta

With mud on their faces and clothes, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later seen consoling members of the crowd. More than 200 people were killed in the floods, the worst in Spain for decades.


7. Female University Student Arrested In Iran After Disrobing In Apparent Hijab Protest - UPI

In a video widely circulated online, the woman is seen in her underwear with her head uncovered. She is sitting near the steps on the campus of Tehran's Islamic Azad University before she stands and walks about with her arms crossed.

Iran International, citing a student group on Telegram, reported that the student disrobed after her clothing was torn by security forces harassing her for not wearing a headscarf. Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities to release the unidentified woman "immediately" and without conditions.


8. U.S. Flies Long-Range Bomber After North Korea's ICBM Launch - A.P.

The U.S. flew the B-1B bomber to train with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets near the Korean Peninsula, demonstrating the three countries' firm resolve and readiness to respond to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programs, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The trilateral aerial training was the second by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan this year, the statement said.


9. Japan Nuclear Reactor In 2011 Disaster Area Stops Days After Restart - Kyodo News

Tohoku Electric Power Co. is facing difficulties sending in a device to confirm the condition of the No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture.

Last Tuesday, the reactor joined a dozen others in the country that have been rebooted after meeting more stringent safety standards imposed in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crisis.


10. Climate Diplomacy’: Can Smog Bring India And Pakistan Together? - Al Jazeera

Relations between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India have largely remained tense and stagnant for years. Now, an unlikely catalyst is promising to facilitate dialogue between them: deadly smog enveloping key cities in both countries.

Pakistan Punjab’s chief minister wants to start a dialogue with her Indian counterpart for a joint effort to tackle deadly air pollution, which has enveloped cities on both sides of the border.


11. Constipation Might Pose Risk To Heart - HealthDay News

Constipated people have twice the risk of a major heart health problem compared to those with normal bowel habits, researchers report.

Recent research has found that constipation is associated with high blood pressure and heart disease, researchers said in background notes. This latest study found a link between constipation and heart health emergencies, particularly among participants with high blood pressure.


📧
Letters to editor email: editor-tippinsights@technometrica.com
📰
Subscribe Today And Make A Difference. Consider supporting Independent Journalism by upgrading to a paid subscription or making a donation. Your support helps tippinsights thrive as a reader-supported publication. Contact us to discuss your research or polling needs.