Americans Split On Impeachment Inquiry: Marist Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Americans are split when it comes to impeachment of the president, but a majority is following the news coming out of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll found 68 percent of Americans — or more than two-thirds — say they are keeping up with the developments of the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

Thirty-seven percent said they were following it very closely or fairly closely.

Those numbers include 80 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents, according to the Marist Poll.

In a phone call between Trump and the president of Ukraine, Trump asked the foreign leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, his potential political opponent.

The poll found 55 percent of Americans believe it's a serious matter that requires investigation, including 27 percent of Republicans.

Those who do not consider the matter to be serious — calling it "just politics" — came in at 43 percent.

When looked through the partisan lens, 78 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents said the matter should be investigated, while 69 percent of Republicans disagreed.

Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said House Democrats still need to make their case to the American public.

"They will be doing so with a public that is paying considerable attention as events unfold and think President Trump's interest in investigating Biden on the call with the Ukrainian president is a serious matter," he said.

Given the partisan polarization, the Marist Poll found Americans are divided about the House going forward with an impeachment inquiry: 49 percent approve and 46 percent disapprove.

Eighty-eight percent of Democrats are for the impeachment inquiry, while 93 percent of Republicans are opposed to it.

Still, nearly three out of four Americans — 73 percent — want to know more from the whistleblower and think he or she should testify before the House.

That opinion is shared by 88 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of independents and 52 percent — a majority — of Republicans.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll was a survey of 864 adults, 18 or older, living in the contiguous United States, conducted Sept. 25. The margin of error was ±4.6 percent.

The complete methodology can be found here.

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