Ahead of US midterms, voters are frustrated with Trump, want change: Poll

Widespread voter disillusionment and pocketbook anxieties set a volatile stage for the GOP weeks before election night.

US President Donald Trump, who has been campaigning across the country for Republican congressional candidates, arrives at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, DC on Thursday (Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

Voter sentiment across the United States is increasingly negative towards US President Donald Trump’s domestic and foreign policies, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

In the closing weeks before the November 3 US congressional midterm elections, 80 percent of Americans polled said the country needs substantial change or “complete and total upheaval” in how it is run, according to the survey of over 1,100 US adults released on Thursday.

Democrats and independents are much more likely than Republicans to want a total overhaul of the country’s direction, the survey found, but even Republican voters are still looking for some change. Slightly fewer than half, 45 percent, want substantial change, while 13 percent are seeking upheaval.

The results point to a pervasive appetite for legislative realignment that poses a risk to the Republican Party’s power as it looks to keep control of both houses of the US Congress.

Fuelled by soaring living costs, everyday economics is driving a majority of the electorate, with 85 percent of respondents saying the economy is one of the most significant issues in weighing their vote in the upcoming election. About eight in 10 registered voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living, and about three-quarters disapprove of his performance on the economy.

Only about one-third of registered voters overall have a “very” or “somewhat” favourable view of the Republican president, and a similar share approve of his performance as president.

More voters want Democrats to win control of Congress and have a more negative view of Republicans.

Immigration and crime rates are also top concerns for some voters, according to the survey results, with 45 percent of voters identifying them as top priorities, though the two issues are prioritised disproportionately by Republican voters who reference them more frequently than Democrats. Conversely, Democratic voters are more prone to name healthcare as their top priority.

Emerging cultural and technological concerns drew less immediate alarm across the board: 35 percent of voters ranked artificial intelligence as a substantial issue, while transgender issues sit significantly lower at 12 percent.

Healthcare is also considered a top issue for 69 percent of voters, while 64 percent cite the war on Iran as top-of-mind.

Despite their grievances, a majority of voters across both major American parties still value civic engagement.

About two-thirds of registered voters in the survey say it’s “extremely” important to vote in the upcoming election, while about two in 10 say it’s “very” important. Seventy-five percent of Democratic voters view it as “extremely” important, compared to roughly 60 percent of Republican respondents.

选民普遍的失望情绪和对经济状况的担忧，为共和党在选举之夜前的几周营造了一个动荡不安的局面。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周四抵达华盛顿特区郊外的安德鲁斯联合基地，他一直在全国各地为共和党国会候选人助选。（Alex Brandon/AP Photo）

根据美联社-NORC公共事务研究中心的一项最新民意调查显示，美国各地选民对美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的内政外交政策的态度越来越负面。

周四公布的一项针对 1100 多名美国成年人的调查显示，在 11 月 3 日美国国会中期选举前的最后几周，80% 的受访美国人表示，美国需要对其运行方式进行实质性变革或“彻底的颠覆”。

调查发现，民主党人和独立人士比共和党人更倾向于彻底改变国家的发展方向，但即使是共和党选民也仍然渴望一些改变。略低于半数（45%）的共和党人希望进行实质性改革，而13%的人则希望发生剧变。

结果表明，民众普遍渴望进行立法机构重组，这对共和党维持对美国国会两院的控制权构成了威胁。

受生活成本飙升的推动，日常经济问题正成为大多数选民关注的焦点，85%的受访者表示，经济是他们在即将到来的选举中权衡投票的最重要因素之一。约80%的登记选民不认可特朗普应对生活成本的方式，约4%的选民不认可他在经济方面的表现。

总体而言，只有大约三分之一的注册选民对共和党总统持“非常”或“比较”好感，而对他的总统表现表示认可的比例也大致相同。

更多选民希望民主党赢得国会控制权，并且对共和党的看法更加负面。

调查结果显示，移民和犯罪率也是部分选民最为关注的问题，45%的选民将其列为首要议题。不过，共和党选民对这两个问题的重视程度明显高于民主党选民，他们提及这两个问题的频率更高。相反，民主党选民则更倾向于将医疗保健列为首要议题。

新兴的文化和技术问题并未立即引起各界的普遍关注：35% 的选民认为人工智能是一个重要问题，而跨性别问题则明显较低，仅占 12%。

69%的选民认为医疗保健是首要问题，而64%的选民则将对伊朗的战争列为他们最关心的问题。

尽管存在不满，但美国两大政党的大多数选民仍然重视公民参与。

调查显示，约三分之二的登记选民认为在即将到来的选举中投票“极其”重要，约五分之一的选民认为投票“非常重要”。75%的民主党选民认为投票“极其”重要，而持相同观点的共和党受访者约占60%。