Democrats and Republicans Agree, the Holidays Are a Time to be Thankful for Family and Friends
The first post-election Emerson College poll finds President-elect Donald Trump’s favorability rating at 54%, a six-point increase from his pre-election favorability of 48%. President Joe Biden has a 36% job approval rating, a four-year low for the president in Emerson polls, while his disapproval rating remains steady at 52%.
“Trump’s favorability varies significantly by gender, race, and age,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Trump’s strongest age cohort is among voters 40-59, with 60% viewing him favorably, compared to 48% among those over 70. Notably, his favorability has risen among younger voters, with 55% of those under 30 expressing a favorable opinion.”
- Men view Trump most favorably at 61%, compared to 48% of women.
- 59% of white voters view Trump favorably, along with 53% of Hispanic voters, and 28% of Black voters.
Voters were asked how surprised they were, if at all, by the 2024 election results. Overall, 46% were surprised, while 54% were not surprised.
“There is a sharp difference in reaction to the election results based on who voters supported: 67% of Harris voters were surprised by the results, while 71% of Trump voters were not surprised by his victory,” Kimball added.
Road to the White House 2028
Republican and Democratic 2028 primary voters were given an open-ended question that asked them to name a candidate they would support in their party’s 2028 nominating contest.
Vice President and 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leads with 37%. Seven percent support California Governor Gavin Newsom, 4% Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and 3% support Governors Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro respectively.
In the Republican Primary, 30% support Vice President-elect JD Vance, 5% support Governor Ron DeSantis, 3% support Vivek Ramaswamy, and 2% support Nikki Haley and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., respectively. A majority of 2028 Republican primary voters (51%) are undecided. Respondents who listed Donald Trump (23%) as their nominee were reclassified as undecided, due to his ineligibility to run.
Voters were asked if they support or oppose Trump’s cabinet nominations:
- Marco Rubio (Secretary of State nomination) 45% support, 32% oppose
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services Secretary nomination) 47% support, 40% oppose
- Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence nomination) 40% support, 33% oppose
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (Medicare and Medicaid Administrator nomination) 41% support, 37% oppose
A plurality of registered voters, 39%, believe there will be another World War, while 26% do not think there will be another World War. Thirty-five percent are not sure.
- 46% of Harris voters believe another world war is likely, compared to 33% of Trump voters.
Thirty-seven percent of voters believe aliens have visited the Earth, a 12-point increase from 2022. Thirty-six percent do not believe aliens have visited the Earth, down from 39% in 2022.
- 41% of Trump voters believe Earth has been visited by aliens, compared to 32% of Harris voters.
Voters were asked what they are most thankful for this holiday season. Majorities of Trump (53%) and Harris (54%) voters feel thankful for family and friendships. Gratitude for health and wellness follows for both Trump (19%) and Harris (22%) voters.
“Shared values among Democrats and Republicans suggests that, despite political divides, the holidays provide opportunities for unity, as these core priorities transcend partisan lines and highlight our shared human experiences of togetherness,” Kimball said.
Methodology
The Emerson College Polling national survey was conducted November 20-22, 2024. The sample of registered voters, n=1,000, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3 percentage points. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, party registration, and region.
It is important to remember that subsets based on demographics, such as gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity, carry with them higher credibility intervals, as the sample size is reduced. Survey results should be understood within the poll’s range of scores, and with a confidence interval of 95% a poll will fall outside the range of scores 1 in 20 times.
Data was collected by contacting cell phones via MMS-to-web text and email (phone and email lists provided by Aristotle) and an online panel of voters provided by CINT. The survey was offered in English.
All questions asked in this survey with the exact wording, along with full results, demographics, and cross tabulations can be found under Full Results. This survey was funded by Emerson College.
