Two-thirds of Americans are anxious about the election, new poll finds

Most Americans are anxious and frustrated, but also interested in the campaign for the White House as it enters its final days, according to a new poll.

While Democrats and Republicans largely have similar emotions about the upcoming showdown, Democrats are more likely to be anxious compared to their conservative counterparts, according to the AP-NORC poll.

Independents are equally frustrated but less excited, interested, and anxious.

Black survey respondents are more excited about the election compared with white participants and they’re also less frustrated and anxious about the showdown. Similarly, Hispanic Americans are also less frustrated about the race compared to white people.

Among Democrats, 80 percent say they’re interested in the election, while 77 percent of Republicans say the same. Fifty-four percent of independents say they’re interested in the campaign.

Roughly seven in 10 Democrats, Republicans, and independents say they’re frustrated by the campaign, but 79 percent of Democrats say they’re anxious compared to 66 percent of Republicans, while 49 percent of independents said they’re anxious.

Thirty-seven percent of Democrats, 41 percent of Republicans, and 24 percent of independents say they’re excited about the race.

Forty-six percent of Black adults said they were excited about the campaign, compared to 33 percent of white adults. They are also less frustrated by the race, with 55 percent of Black people saying they’re frustrated compared to 74 percent of white people. Similarly, Black people are also less anxious than white people, by a margin of 62 to 73 percent. Sixty-three percent of Hispanic adults said they were frustrated by the campaign.

The poll included 1,233 adults and was conducted between October 24 and 28.

The election is historically close, with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump viewed as having a roughly equal chance at winning the Electoral College.

The race is tight both in national polls and in the seven battleground states, recent polling has found.

Harris and Trump have laid out vastly different arguments as they try to attract the last few undecided voters.

The vice president argued in a speech at the Ellipse in downtown Washington DC on Tuesday that Trump is obsessed with personal grievances and revenge, while Trump called Harris “a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path” during a Sunday night rally.

Partisans are more anxious about this election than they were in 2020 – about eight in 10 Democrats said they’re anxious now compared to about three-quarters four years ago. Similarly, two-thirds of Republicans said they’re anxious – about six in 10 said the same ahead of the 2020 election.