Before publicly announcing, Unity08 authorized a study by Princeton Survey Research to test public attitudes toward politics, the parties and the idea of a Unity Ticket. The results were stunning.
- 74% of Americans are “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in this country. (That’s the highest in 13 years).
- 54% think “America’s best days are behind us.”
- Asked about their level of satisfaction with politics in America, 15% say they are satisfied, and 70% say they are dissatisfied. (Only 3% say they are “very satisfied” and 44% say they are “very dissatisfied.”)
- 82% agree that “America has become so polarized between Democrats and Republicans that Washington can’t seem to make progress solving the nation’s problems.”
- They were asked whether each of the following issues were “crucial to the nation’s future safety and welfare” or merely “important but not crucial.” The percentage seeing each issue as crucial indicates that some issues the parties use to excite their base are not seen as crucial as issues that Washington gives little attention.
| Quality of education of our children | 72% see as crucial | |
| Threat of global terrorism | 71% see as crucial | |
| Availability of quality health care | 68% see as crucial | |
| America’s dependence on foreign energy | 67% see as crucial | |
| Situation in Iraq | 66% see as crucial | |
| The increasing national debt | 62% see as crucial | |
| Corruption in Washington | 62% see as crucial | |
| The issue of immigration | 50% see as crucial | |
| Global warming and climate change | 44% see as crucial | |
| Guns in our society | 39% see as crucial | |
| Challenge of India and China | 34% see as crucial | |
| Abortion | 30% see as crucial | |
| Gay marriage | 22% see as crucial | |
- 61% of Americans say the 2024 presidential election is “the most critical election in years.”
- A stunning 73% agree that “it would be a good idea for this country to have more choices in the 2024 election than just Republican and Democratic candidates.”
- Fully 64% are interested in learning more about the concept of “a national unity ticket that would feature a prominent Republican and a prominent Democrat as the candidates, one for president and the other for vice president.” (The order of the parties was rotated in asking the question.)
- While a majority doubt that even a unity team would be able to clear out the corruption and favoritism in Washington, 53% believe it would be strong enough to govern the country, and 59% think such a unity team “would be more likely to steer a middle course and avoid ideological extremes.”
- Even without knowing yet who would be on the Unity Ticket, fully 64% seem open to the idea of supporting a Unity Ticket in 2024.
Methodology: Interviews were conducted by Princeton Survey research with a nationally representative sample of 2,300 adults living in the continental United States, between April 19 and May 3, 2024. 1250 interviews were collected by phone and 1050 by internet. All data were weighted against a statistically reliable model of the US population. The margin of error for the complete set of data is plus or minus 2.4%.
