(Reuters) – Democrat Kamala Harris faced Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday in the U.S. presidential election, after the two candidates vied for support by staking positions on issues including abortion, the economy and foreign policy.
Following are preliminary results from an exit poll conducted by Edison Research. Results will be updated as additional poll responses are gathered.
* 44% of voters nationwide said they had a favorable view of Trump, compared to 46% who said so in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 54% viewed him unfavorably, compared to 52% in 2020.
* 48% of voters nationwide said they had a favorable view of Harris, compared to 52% who said the same of Biden in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 50% viewed her unfavorably, compared to 46% who viewed Biden that way in 2020.
* 31% of voters nationwide said the economy mattered most in deciding how to vote in the presidential election. 11% said immigration, 14% abortion, 34% the state of democracy, 4% foreign policy.
* 45% of voters nationwide said their family’s financial situation was worse off than it was four years ago, compared to 20% who said so in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 24% said they were better off than they were four years ago, compared to 41% in 2020. 31% said their financial situation was unchanged.
* 51% of voters nationwide said they trust Trump more to handle the economy. 47% said they trust Harris more.
* 39% of voters nationwide said most undocumented immigrants in the United States should be deported to the countries they came from. 57% said they should be offered a chance to apply for legal status.
* 51% of voters nationwide said they trust Harris more to handle the issue of abortion. 44% said they trust Trump more.
* 31% of voters nationwide said U.S. support for Israel is too strong. 30% said it’s not strong enough and 31% said it’s about right.
* 73% of voters nationwide said they think democracy in the U.S. is threatened. 25% said it is secure.
* 57% of voters nationwide said they didn’t have a college degree, compared to 59% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 43% had a degree, compared to 41% in 2020.
* 53% of voters nationwide were women, compared to 52% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 47% were men, compared to 48% in 2020.
* 71% of voters nationwide were white, compared to 67% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 11% were Black, compared to 13% in 2020. 12% were Hispanic, compared to 13% in 2020.
* 34% of voters nationwide were white men, compared to 35% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 37% were white women, compared to 32% in 2020.
* 5% of voters nationwide were Black men, compared to 4% in 2020. 7% were Black women, compared to 8% in 2020.
* 6% of voters nationwide were Hispanic men, compared to 5% in 2020. 6% were Hispanic women, compared to 8% in 2020.
Exit polling reflects just a slice of the tens of million of people who have voted, both before and on Election Day, and the preliminary results are subject to change through the course of the night as more people are surveyed.
National exit-poll results provide an important window into the thinking of the nation, but may not directly align with the seven battleground states expected to decide the presidential election.
Exit polls capture variations among turnout in various demographic groups, such as men vs. women voters or college-educated vs. non-college-educated voters, and can provide insights into how turnout has changed from past elections.
One key advantage of exit polls is all the people surveyed, by definition, are people who cast ballots in this election.
(Reporting by Washington newsroom; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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