Democrats’ convention knocked Trump’s image among Independents, survey suggests

The Democratic National Convention weakened former President Donald Trump’s image – notably among political Independents — but did not appreciably boost that of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, according to new national surveys conducted before and after the convention by Boston University’s College of Communication.

Before the convention, self-identified Independents thought Trump cared more about the needs of “people like me” than Harris (31% vs. 23%), but after they thought Harris cared more than Trump (23% vs. 19%). Similarly, twice as many Independents saw Trump as a strong leader compared to Harris (50% vs. 24%) before the convention, but after, Trump’s number fell to 30%, with those saying neither candidate increasing from 21% to 43%.

“The changes we are seeing, pre- and post-DNC in how Independents perceive Donald Trump is quite staggering,” said Anne Danehy, a former pollster and associate professor of the practice teaching political campaigns at Boston University’s College of Communication. “The Democratic National Convention did a good job of cutting into Trump’s image, but those positive images were not transferred to Harris.”

Danehy added: “The Harris-Walz campaign must be strategic to move the Independents into Harris-Walz voters. Independents need a reason to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket, other than just anti-Trump. If they fail to do so, these disenchanted Independents may stay home on election day.”

Considering respondents of all political affiliations, Trump’s approval level dropped in each of five aspects of political image offered in the survey.

Before the convention, Trump was viewed as a stronger leader (42% to 36%) but that gap narrowed to a single percentage point (36% to 35%). Before, the candidates were viewed as equally able to “move the country forward,” but Harris is now viewed as more able to do so (37% to 34%).

Harris was judged more trustworthy that Trump before the convention (36% to 27%) and the gap grew after it (37% to 25%) – the widest margin of the five questions posed of respondents.

“These findings are surprising since the Democratic National Convention was more about image and forming bonds with voters than issues,” Danehy said. “How voters perceive candidates’ images is important to understanding the emotional connections between voters and candidates. Emotional connections with candidates can be key to forming bonds with candidates and often this can be a stronger predictor than position on the issues.”

This month’s Media & Technology survey was conducted in two rounds with identical questions: August 16 to 19, 2024 (before the Democratic National Convention) and August 27 to 28, 2024 (after the convention), both with a sample size of 1005 using Ipsos eNation Omnibus, a nationally representative online survey weighted by education and party affiliation.

Survey Summary

Respondents identifying as political Independents were asked if they think the following descriptions best describe Kamala Harris or Donald Trump:

Cares about the needs and concerns of people like me:

Donald Trump: 31% before the DNC / 19% after the DNC
Kamala Harris: 23% before the DNC / 23% after the DNC
Neither: 34% before the DNC / 53% after the DNC

Is trustworthy:

Donald Trump: 21% / 18%
Kamala Harris: 24% / 23%
Neither: 45% / 55%

Is a strong leader:

Donald Trump: 50% / 30%
Kamala Harris: 24% / 21%
Neither: 21% / 43%

Will move this country forward:

Donald Trump: 46% / 22%
Kamala Harris: 23% / 23%
Neither: 23% / 45%

Is a champion for the middle class

Donald Trump: 35% / 22%
Kamala Harris: 27% / 27%
Neither: 29% / 45%

Respondents of all or no political affiliations were asked if they think the following descriptions best describe Kamala Harris or Donald Trump:

Cares about the needs and concerns of people like me:

Donald Trump: 33% before the DNC / 30% after the DNC
Kamala Harris: 39% before the DNC / 40% after the DNC
Neither: 22% before the DNC / 26% after the DNC

Is trustworthy:

Donald Trump: 27% / 25%
Kamala Harris: 36% / 37%
Neither: 32% / 33%

Is a strong leader:

Donald Trump: 42% / 36%
Kamala Harris: 36% / 35%
Neither: 16% / 22%

Will move this country forward:

Donald Trump: 38% / 34%
Kamala Harris: 38% / 37%
Neither: 18% / 23%

Is a champion for the middle class

Donald Trump: 32% / 29%
Kamala Harris: 39% / 39%
Neither: 23% / 27%

About the Media & Technology Survey

The Media & Technology Survey is an ongoing project of the Communication Research Center (CRC) at Boston University’s College of Communication. This month’s polls were conducted in English on August 16 to 19, 2024, and August 27 to 28, 2024, using Ipsos eNation Omnibus, a nationally representative online survey that measures attitudes and opinions of 1,005 adults across the United States, respectively. This online survey has a credibility interval (CI) of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The data were weighted to the U.S. population data by region, gender, age and education. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.