As the 2024 election draws closer, Republicans are more likely to trust former President Donald Trump and his campaign than official election results, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
The poll, published on Tuesday, shows that two-thirds of Republicans are more inclined to trust the campaign for Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, at least a moderate amount to provide accurate information about the results of the 2024 election, while only half trust the official certification process.
However, about 9 in 10 Democrats trust the government certification at least a moderate amount, and an overwhelming majority, 82 percent also have at least a moderate amount of trust in Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and her campaign.
In addition, according to the poll, most Americans—around 7 in 10—trust the government certifications of election results at least a moderate amount.
Newsweek reached out to the campaigns for Trump and Harris via email on Tuesday for comment.
Grant Baldwin/Getty Images
The poll was released days after Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social that the election would be heavily scrutinized to avoid cheating.
“I, together with many Attorneys and Legal Scholars, am watching the Sanctity of the 2024 Presidential Election very closely because I know, better than most, the rampant Cheating and Skullduggery that has taken place by the Democrats in the 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote, in part.
Since losing the election to President Joe Biden in 2020, Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that widespread voter fraud was the reason why he lost. He and his allies brought 62 lawsuits challenging the results, 61 of which were thrown out. One succeeded at first but was then overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Trump has long accused the Democratic Party and Biden of cheating. However, the former president is the defendant in two criminal trials relating to alleged election interference, one federal, and one in Georgia. In both cases, he denies any wrongdoing and says he is subject to a political witch hunt.
Meanwhile, the poll also reflects growing concern over misinformation, as voters prepare for the 2024 election and many are unsure where to turn for reliable information.
According to Tuesday’s poll, Americans are less likely to trust the campaigns overall—compared to sources such as the government and the media—but they have a higher level of trust in Harris and her campaign than in Trump and his campaign to provide accurate information about the outcome of the election.
About half of Americans have at least a moderate amount of trust in Harris and her campaign. Meanwhile, about 4 in 10 have at least a moderate amount of trust in Trump and his campaign.
The poll also found about 6 in 10 Americans believe that Trump’s campaign messages are “rarely” or “never” based on factual information, compared to 45 percent who say that about Harris’ campaign messages.
In addition, about 6 in 10 Americans say it’s easy for them to understand the difference between fact and opinion when it comes to information about the upcoming presidential election, but only about 4 in 10 say it’s easy to know whether information is true or not.
However, Americans are more confident about factual information related to election logistics with about 7 in 10 Americans saying it’s easy to find information about how to register to vote, and about 6 in 10 saying it’s easy to find information about how to cast their ballot.
The poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
