25% Of Americans Dislike Both Clinton And Trump

One of the biggest factors in any election is voter turnout, and the 2016 election is no different. A recent national poll finds that one in four Americans is unhappy with both presidential candidates – a fact that may keep some voters home.

In a daily tracking poll covering the month of June, Gallup found that 25 percent of U.S. adults holds an unfavorable opinion of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Only four percent of those surveyed held a favorable view of both candidates. On the other hand, 35 percent found Trump unfavorable and Clinton favorable, while 28 percent found Trump favorable as a candidate and Clinton unfavorable.

For comparison, in the 2012 election, only 11 percent of those surveyed found both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney unfavorable.

Gallup also adds that of those who view both 2016 candidates unfavorable, 54 percent describe themselves as politically independent, and have a roughly split approval of President Barack Obama.

Gallup also notes that Donald Trump is the most highly unfavorable major party presidential nominee since 1956. Trump’s 42 percent unfavorable rating is followed by Hillary Clinton’s 33 percent unfavorable ranking. The third highest-rated unfavorable candidate is Barry Goldwater, who ran for president in 1964, with a 26 percent unfavorable rating.  

According to KPCC, voter turnout for the 2016 primaries has been unusually high – despite negative views of the candidates.

“People tend to go to the polls because they’re excited and people tend to be excited because they either feel really strongly or they know their vote can make a difference,” Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said, according to KPCC. “I think in this race, to a certain extent, neither one of those factors are present.”

But these high primary numbers may not translate into general election turnout.

“It’s very hard to say that anything that happens in the primary season has that much of an impact on the general [election],” Drew DeSilver of the Pew Research Center said, reports Politico. “There is definitely not a correlation between turnout in the primaries and success in the general election.” 

Sources: Gallup (2), Politico, KPCC / Photo credit: Hillary Clinton/Instagram