More say Democrats better able to handle ‘most important problem’ facing US: poll

More respondents in a poll released Monday said the Democratic Party is better able to handle the “most important problem” facing the U.S. as the 2020 presidential election inches closer.

The Gallup poll found that 47 percent of participants said they believe Democrats are more equipped to manage what they defined as the most important problem in the country, while 39 percent said Republicans would better handle it. 

The top two problems identified by respondents were government and the coronavirus pandemic, both chosen by 25 percent of respondents.  

For those who named government as the top issue, 51 percent said the Democratic Party would better handle the problem, compared with 44 percent who sided with Republicans. A total of 62 percent of those who said the coronavirus was the biggest issue said Democrats were more equipped to manage the issue, compared to 21 percent who said Republicans would be.

Other top issues mentioned included race relations or racism at 13 percent, crime and violence at 8 percent and unifying the country at 6 percent. 

Just 9 percent of respondents named an economy-related problem as the top issue, a record low tying with results found this July. Before the pandemic, the record low on the issue was documented in January at 10 percent. 

As expected, 92 percent of Republicans said the most important issue would be better handled by the Republican Party, while 95 percent of Democrats said it would be better managed by the Democratic Party. Forty-two percent of independents sided with the Democrats, 29 percent sided with the Republicans and 30 percent said neither would better to handle the self-identified most important issue.

The party with the highest support for this question has won all but two presidential elections in Gallup poll history, the exceptions being in 1980, when the parties were tied, and in 1948, when President Truman had a comeback. The question was not asked in 2000.

Gallup noted, with other measures like presidential job approval and satisfaction with the way things are going, a Trump reelection “would rival Truman’s 1948 reelection as one of the bigger upsets in U.S. political history.”

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,019 U.S. adults between Aug. 31 and Sept. 13. The margin of error amounted to 4 percentage points.