A new YouGov survey asked Americans how much they believe Kamala Harris and Donald Trump each care about the needs and problems of many different racial, socioeconomic, and religious groups.
The lists of groups that Americans are likeliest to say the two candidates care a lot about are very different.
About half (48%) of Americans say they think Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of women, 40% think she cares a lot about the needs and problems of Black Americans, and 35% think she cares a lot about the needs and problems of young Americans. Around one-third think Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of each of the following groups: middle-class Americans (34%), poor Americans (33%), and Americans with college degrees (32%).
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans say they think Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of wealthy Americans. 51% think he cares a lot about the needs and problems of white Americans, and 45% think he cares a lot about the needs and problems of men. Many Americans say Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of Christian Americans (36%), Jewish Americans (30%), and elderly Americans (29%).
Fewer Americans say Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of Black Americans now (40%) than did in August, according to an August 20 - 24 poll (46%). Belief she cares a lot about wealthy Americans has also fallen — to 25%, from 33% in August.
More Americans say Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of young Americans now (28%) than did in the August poll (23%).
On the other side of the care spectrum, 35% of Americans believe Trump doesn’t care at all about the needs and problems of poor Americans, and 32% say he doesn’t care at all about the needs and problems of Black Americans. The groups Americans are most likely to say Harris doesn’t care at all about are Americans who live in rural areas (27%) and Christian Americans (26%).
The groups Democrats are most likely to believe Harris cares a lot about are women (76%), Black Americans (66%), young Americans (66%), and middle-class Americans (64%). Among Republicans, 25% think Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of women.
Democrats and Republicans are most closely aligned on how much Harris cares about wealthy Americans: 30% of Democrats and 21% of Republicans think she cares a lot about the needs and problems of this group.
The groups Republicans are most likely to believe Trump cares a lot about are white Americans (71%), men (66%), and middle-class Americans (64%). The groups Republicans are least likely to say he cares a lot about are non-religious Americans (49%) and Asian Americans (51%).
Among Democrats, 69% think Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of wealthy Americans and 43% think he cares a lot about the needs and problems of white Americans.
Like with Harris, Democrats and Republicans also are most closely aligned on how much Trump cares about wealthy Americans: 69% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans think he cares a lot about the needs and problems of this group.
While there is a gap in how many Americans think Harris and Trump care about men and women, there isn't much gender gap in perceptions of the candidates' attitudes to both groups. 46% of women and 50% of men believe Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of women; about half as many — 25% of women and 24% of men — believe Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of men. 25% of women and 30% of men believe Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of women; 47% of women and 43% of men believe Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of men.
Among white Americans, 26% say Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of white Americans, while 50% say the same about Trump. Among Black Americans, 55% believe Harris cares a lot about the needs and problems of Black Americans. 10% of Black Americans believe Trump cares a lot about the needs and problems of Black Americans.
— Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
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See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: This YouGov poll was conducted online on October 10 - 14, 2024 among 1,126 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
