In Thursday's debate, viewers mostly want to hear about Joe Biden and Donald Trump's plans for the country and their accomplishments as presidentrather than criticizing each other.
Some will also look to whether or not these men have the mental and cognitive health to serve (a concern that voters have expressed to some degree about each of the candidates for previous surveys).
Voters generally agree what want the candidates to say, but opinions differ how they should say so. Democrats want Mr. Biden to take a more forceful tone, while Republicans want Mr. Trump to take a more polite one.
In a contest where many have said they've already made up their minds, relatively few observers think they'll see anything that could change their votes. Instead, it will be observed more to see how the candidates perform. There are some who say they will be watching for entertainment.
There are some signs that Democrats are feeling more apprehensive than Republicans. Democrats aren't so sure their candidate will “win” the debate. They believe Mr. Biden needs to avoid mistakes, more so than Republicans think Mr. Trump does. And fewer Democrats than Republicans plan to watch the debate live in the first place.
About one in five voters plan to watch the debate to help them decide who to vote for; this is the case for younger voters more than for older ones.
Respondents were allowed to express various reasons.
Whether they see him live or not, voters across the country believe former President Trump should be more polite than forceful in the debate, and that includes a majority in his own party.
Most Democrats want to see Mr. Biden adopt a forceful tone, rather than a polite one.
More voters are expected trump will win the debate. Republicans are more confident Trump will prevail than Democrats Biden.
Independents pick Trump over Biden to win the debate, by two to one, but many are also unsure who will win.
What should candidates do?
Voters generally think that each candidate must accomplish many of the same things in this debate. First, is to explain your future plans. Supporters often feel that their party's presumptive nominee should inspire confidence.
More voters think Biden needs to avoid mistakes than think Trump.
More Democrats say this about Mr. Biden than Republicans say about Trump.
The economy, inflation, democracy, crime and the border are top issues for votersso listeners may be looking for what the candidates have to say about these issues.
What impact could it have?
Relatively few, about a third of those who plan to see at least some coverage, think they might learn something from the debate that might change their views.
Who will watch?
About six out of 10 voters plan to watch all or part of the debate live; the rest say they'll watch the highlights or won't do much coverage.
More Republicans than Democrats plan to watch it. Voters who think “a lot” about the presidential campaign are especially likely to tune in and watch the debate live.
This CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,032 adult US residents, including 1,514 registered voters, interviewed between June 24 and 26, 2024. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education based on the US Census' American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past voting. The margin of error for the sample of registered voters is ±3.5 points.
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