One last Mood Check for 2024

Today, for our last Midweek Mood Check of the year, we’re running the gamut from January 6 to TikTok, the war in the Middle East to school shootings, and more.

It’s been a complicated year, to say the least. The last thing this threadbare country needed was two assassination attempts and 34 felony indictments against the former president and 2024 Republican nominee, the sitting president and projected 2024 Democratic nominee to drop out of the race, and major complications in the wars in Europe and the Middle East.

Knock on wood — God must have known better.

If the above incidents were the defining scenes of 2024, the backdrop was shaped by no less contentious debates. A presidential election is more than a choice between two candidates, after all: it’s a referendum on everything from gas prices to education. Vice President Kamala Harris — sprightly vibes notwithstanding — lost the election because of policy. Trump 2.0 will rise or fall by the same token.

As such, we’d be wise to turn an ear to the voice of the people — angry, disaffected, and, especially after November’s election, either fearful or hopeful.

When it comes to the president-elect, an impressive 56% of voters say they approve of how Trump is handling his role, a largely partisan position shared by 90% of Republicans and only 20% of Democrats. Furthermore, postgraduates favor Biden (69%) over Trump (46%) by nearly 20 points, while 57% of those without postgraduate degrees prefer the president-elect (57% to 38%).

Of course, the rubber won’t really hit the road until January 20, 2025, when Trump assumes headship of the fractured nation. Below, we cite the latest polling about the issues the American people will look to Trump to resolve.

Health Care

Just 34% of voters say the U.S. healthcare system is good or excellent, according to the Napolitan Institute. Unsurprisingly, this translates to a popular cry for deregulation; 64% believe we can improve our healthcare system simply by giving individuals and their doctors more control over medical decisions. Only 29% call for more federal regulation. 

Additionally, Republicans and Democrats support banning artificial dyes in food (71%) and banning processed food in schools (70%), while 62% oppose removing vaccine requirements for kids to attend public schools.

The United Nations and Hamas

Israel’s war against Hamas has become increasingly schismatic within both parties; however, most Americans still take a hard-line stance against the terrorist group responsible for October 7. Although very few people know about how U.N. agencies have worked with Palestinian groups and Hamas, 53% say we should pull funding for the U.N. if that were the case. Over 40% would go even further and support ending our membership and asking the U.N. to leave New York.

More than half (54%) believe ending fighting in the Middle East is more likely under Trump than a Democratic administration. 

School Shootings

“Thirty-three percent (33%) say the most effective way to reduce school shootings is increased security, either through armed security guards or by allowing trained teachers and administrators to carry guns,” Napolitan reported after last week's fatal shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. “Twenty-four percent (24%) say more background checks would be more effective, and 21% prefer banning assault weapons or all guns.”

January 6

The January 6, 2021, capitol riot represents a sore subject for Americans nearly four years later. “Thirty-four percent (34%) of voters favor President-elect Trump issuing a pardon to those convicted in cases related to the January 6 protests. That’s similar to the 32% who say that Dr. Fauci should be pardoned by President Biden and the 30% who favored the pardon of Hunter Biden.” Despite Trump suggesting he may pardon everyone involved, 62% (including 38% of Trump supporters) view the January 6 protestors unfavorably.

TikTok

Although voters cannot agree on whether the U.S. should ban TikTok, 44% believe the ByteDance-owned social media company poses a serious threat to national security, while 62% say China has probably been using it to spy on us.

2025 and Beyond…

And with that, we’ll conclude the Midweek Mood Check for 2024. We hope that you have found this series useful to your understanding of American politics. We’ll return in 2025 with more polling and insights into the pulse of the public!