On Tuesday, Barack Obama released a video endorsement of his Vice President, Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee for president. Immediate reactions indicate that the endorsement may help position Biden in a more favorable light.
Users who took a poll using the YouGov Direct app shortly after the endorsement video was released were initially asked how favorably or unfavorably they viewed Biden. They were subsequently shown a 1-minute clip from Obama’s endorsement video, and then they were asked once again how favorably or unfavorably they viewed Biden.
YouGov Direct users were shown the following clip:
Before viewing the clip, 48 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of Biden. After viewing the clip, 55 percent said they had a favorable view — an increase of 7 percentage points.
About three in 10 (31%) of those surveyed say this video will be very effective in increasing support for Biden, while a similar number (33%) estimate it will be somewhat effective in increasing support.
On Wednesday, our weekly The Economist/YouGov survey will explore the potential effect of Obama’s endorsement. The most recently available data from The Economist/YouGov, as of press time, places Biden’s overall favorability at 44 percent nationally and 78 percent among Democratic primary voters.
President Donald Trump’s favorability is also at 44 percent nationally but reaches 95 percent among Republican primary voters.
Learn more about YouGov Direct
Methodology: Data is based on 1,214 interviews with YouGov Direct panelists. The dataset was weighted based on age and gender to best represent the US population. Interviews were conducted through the YouGov Direct app on April 14, 2020.
Image: Getty
