From lagging on perception regarding prowess to handle the economy, Vice President Kamala Harris has come a long way so much so that her policy proposals now strike a chord with the public. The results of a recent survey confirmed this.
Trump Vs. Harris: In a blind test of the policy proposals of Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump, the former’s was favored by voters, a new Harris Poll commissioned by Guardian showed. Four of the most popular policy proposals picked by the public belonged to the Democratic campaign, the poll found.
The survey was conducted online nationally from Sept. 12-14 among 2,122 respondents, with the margin of error at +/- percentage points.
The respondents were given a list of 12 policy proposals – six belonging to Trump’s campaign and the remaining six to Harris’, without revealing which campaign these proposals came from. The most popular proposal was the federal ban on price-gouging of food and groceries that was put forward by the vice president. Forty-five percent of the respondents said this measure would strengthen the economy.
The Democratic campaign has pitched the clampdown on price gouging as a means to bring down inflation, which is the top election issue. Sixty-six percent of the respondents surveyed in the Harris poll mentioned the cost of living as their biggest economic concern.
The second most preferred proposal was from the Trump campaign, with 42% backing the former president’s plan to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.
The third, fourth and fifth preferred proposals were expanding the child tax credit for middle- and low-income families (33%), tax breaks for new small businesses (33%) and increasing the tax rate on long-term capital gains for those earning over a million dollars (29%), all of which were suggested by the Harris camp.
Trump’s proposal to deport millions of migrants was approved by 43% of the Republicans but only 24% of the independents and 15% of the Democrats favored it.
More independents favored the vice president’s policies than Trump’s, the poll found.
Harris’ Shift Helping? In a shift away from Bidenomics – a name used to refer to President Joe Biden’s economic policies, Harris has been focusing on rising costs, the report said. This has been welcomed by younger Americans, which now account for a big chunk of voters. The poll found that 87% of millennials and Gen Z voters said at least one of Harris’ policies was good compared to 79% of these demographics who said the same about Trump’s policies. The majority of millennials (59%) said that Harris' policies are better than Biden's, compared to just 36% of Boomers.
“Despite some skepticism that VP Harris has yet to define where she stands, our data shows she's energized her base – particularly millennials, who will be the largest voting bloc this election – by effectively messaging and connecting with them on the issues they are facing as they move more into adulthood: childcare, housing and jobs," said John Gerzema, CEO of Harris Poll.
Most Americans are still feeling sore about the economy. Even after several economic measures improved, 35% of respondents said they were more pessimistic, while 29% felt more optimistic. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of all polled said they did not feel any positive effects of good economic news today.
A majority of Americans (61%) believe inflation is increasing when it has actually fallen significantly from its peak in 2022. And nearly half of those polled, 49%, said they believed the US economy was experiencing a recession.
Despite inflationary pressure subsiding, a majority (61%) said pricing pressure was on the rise, while 49% said the economy was in a recession.
On a positive note, 61% felt better about their personal finances and 72% were happy with their ability to afford necessities.
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