A significant portion of the nation’s voters believe that neither President Biden nor former President Trump has the mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president. While these perceptions are influenced by partisanship, many independents are facing a difficult decision as they choose to vote for a candidate they don’t believe has the cognitive ability to lead the country. Trump is viewed more favorably than Biden in terms of cognitive ability, with only about a third of voters thinking Biden has the capacity compared to half for Trump. These views have remained consistent in recent months.
Partisan affiliations play a role in these perceptions, with Democrats more skeptical about Biden’s cognitive health compared to Republicans’ views on Trump. Despite doubts about his cognitive ability, Democrats who don’t think Biden is fit to serve as president are still choosing him over Trump. On the other hand, Republicans are more skeptical about Biden’s cognitive health, contributing to his lower overall numbers.
In line with overall voter opinions, more independents view Trump as having the mental and cognitive health to lead the country compared to Biden. These views are closely tied to voting behavior, as most independents who doubt Biden’s cognitive health are supporting Trump, and those who doubt Trump’s cognitive health are backing Biden.
Fred Backus contributed to this report. This survey was conducted by CBS News/YouGov with a nationally representative sample of 2,063 U.S. adult residents interviewed between June 5-7, 2024. The data was weighted based on gender, age, race, and education, and included an oversample in key states. The margin of error is ±3.2 points among all adults and ±3.8 points among registered voters.