WASHINGTON, May 24 (UPI) — A new poll underscores the negative attitudes many Americans have about a potential general election matchup between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with roughly six-in-10 voters saying they either dislike or hate the candidates.
In the NBC News/Survey Monkey tracking poll, the single biggest reason people gave for preferring either Clinton or Trump is their opposition to one another. Thirty-three percent of Clinton supporters said they will vote for her because she is opposed to Trump, while 36 percent of Trump supporters said the same thing about Clinton.
Among Clinton supporters, 30 percent said they supported her because of her experience, a significant advantage over Trump. Only 2 percent of his supporters cited his experience as the reason they’re voting for him.
Overall, the poll showed Clinton maintaining a four-percentage-point lead over Trump nationally, 47 percent to 43 percent. A week ago, the tracking poll had Clinton leading by three points, 48 percent to 45 percent, over Trump.
Democrat Bernie Sanders fared slightly better than Clinton in a general election match-up against Trump, 53 percent to 41 percent.
The candidates’ favorability numbers remain at historically negative levels.
For Clinton, 21 percent of the electorate said they “hate” her. Another 37 percent said they dislike her, but do not hate her. Seventeen percent said they admire Clinton.
For Trump, 24 percent of the electorate said they “hate” him. Another 39 percent said they dislike him, but do not hate him. Ten percent said they admire Trump.
The online poll was conducted May 16-22, sampling 16,710 adults, including 14,513 registered voters. Because online participants self selected to participate in the poll, the margin of error cannot be calculated.
NBC News SurveyMonkey Toplines and Methodology 5 16-5-22 by United Press International
