Report · Politics

A candidate's competence matters most in Americans' presidential votes

Reading

When Americans recall what shaped their last presidential vote, a candidate's competence stands out: about a quarter (26%) point to the candidate's competency as the biggest influence, according to an April 2024 Verasight survey.

Nothing else draws as much, with personal economic concerns accounting for 17% and broader economic conditions 14%, while 12% have never voted for president and 11% cite partisan loyalty. Smaller shares name the candidate's personal image (6%), international issues (5%) or the candidate's popularity (3%), and 7% give some other reason.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

A candidate's competence matters most in Americans' presidential votes.

The last time you participated in an Presidential election, which of the following was the most influential to your vote?

  • Candidate’s competency 25.8%
  • Personal Economic issues 17.2%
  • National or macroeconomic issues 13.8%
  • I have not voted in a Presidential election 11.7%
  • Partisan issues (because you always voted for the candidate of your preferred party) 10.7%
  • Other 7.1%
  • Candidate’s personal image 5.8%
  • International issues 4.9%
  • Candidate’s popularity 3.0%

2024 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.5%

2

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2024-04-10 → 2024-04-15
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
2

Source

Citation

Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2024-037, fielded April 10-15, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

https://verasight-mpsa-2024.tiiny.co

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.