Early exit polls: Voters say they want a ‘strong leader’

More voters this year are looking for a strong leader than in previous presidential elections, according to an early morning exit poll, whose results could shift significantly over the course of Election Day.

The first results from the Morning Consult/POLITICO Exit Poll of early and Election-Day voters also show few voters are feeling joy and pride at the climax of the campaign.


Asked what characteristic is most important for the next president, 36 percent of voters say they want a “strong leader,” 29 percent want “a vision for the future,” 16 percent want someone who “cares about people like me” and another 16 percent said they want someone who “shares my values.”

The percentage of voters thus far who say they want a strong leader – a characterization Donald Trump’s team made central to his campaign – is twice the percentage who said they were looking for a strong leader in the 2012 National Election Pool exit poll.

While Morning Consult and POLITICO are surveying voters throughout the day, the organizations will not release any data that directly characterize the potential outcome of the election.

The survey also shows voters are relieved the pitched race is coming to a close – but also anxious as they await the returns Tuesday night.

Eighty-five percent of voters say they “just want it to be over,” while 72 percent are “anxious” and 71 percent are “nervous.”

A smaller majority of voters describe themselves as “angry” (53 percent), and half are “sad.” Though a smaller percentage, 39 percent, go as far as to call themselves “depressed.”

Independents (47 percent) are more depressed than Democrats (36 percent) or Republicans (37 percent). Similarly, 60 percent of independents say they are angry, compared to 50 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans.

Fewer than three-in-10 voters describe themselves as “proud” (29 percent) or “happy” (25 percent) about the election.

Voters are mixed on the state of the economy. Only 32 percent of voters say the nation’s financial situation is better today than it was four years ago, fewer than the 44 percent who say it is worse today. Twenty-one percent of voters say the economy is about the same.

But voters are less negative about their own financial situation: 31 percent say it is better today than four years ago, 30 percent say it is worse and 38 percent say it is about the same.

The Morning Consult/POLITICO Exit Poll was conducted October 18-November 8 among 6,782 early and Election-Day voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of registered voters based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.

More details on the poll and its methodology can be found here: http://bit.ly/2eJ9dvl