Americans surveyed just before the presidential election held stronger negative emotions about Donald Trump than Kamala Harris, running counter to the results days later, according to the latest survey by Boston University’s College of Communication.

Nearly half of respondents said they would describe their feelings about Trump as “disgusted” (48%) or “repulsed” (45%). In contrast, about a third said they would describe their feelings about Harris as “disgusted” (34%) or “repulsed” (32%). The gap was similar when respondents considered other emotions such as anger and fear.

Neither candidate seemed to elicit enthusiasm among respondents. Only 40% felt enthusiastic, strongly other otherwise, about Harris, and 31% felt that way about Trump.

Yet four days after the survey was completed, Trump won nearly 50% of the popular vote compared to slightly more than 48% for Harris.

“In general, Americans were slightly more enthusiastic toward Harris and more angry, afraid, and disgusted by Trump,” said H. Denis Wu, a professor at Boston University’s College of Communication and author of the survey questions. “Partisan difference of emotions in candidate evaluations is predictable and self-clarifying.

“However, the emotions voters had right before the election did not necessarily align well with their party memberships, as some Democrats were angry and disgusted by Harris,” he added.

Survey Summary

Respondents to this month’s Media & Technology Survey were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with the following adjectives describing the two presidential candidates?

I feel disgusted about Kamala Harris.

• Strongly Disagree: 34% / 33% men / 35% women
• Disagree: 14% / 14% / 13%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 18% / 19% / 16%
• Agree: 14% / 11% / 17%
• Strongly Agree: 20% / 22% / 19%

I feel angry about Kamala Harris.

• Strongly Disagree: 32% / 31% men / 33% women
• Disagree: 17% / 18% / 15%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 21% / 20% / 22%
• Agree: 13% / 13% / 13%
• Strongly Agree: 17% / 17% / 17%

I feel afraid about Kamala Harris.

• Strongly Disagree: 34% / 35% men / 34% women
• Disagree: 15% / 17% / 14%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 17% / 14% / 20%
• Agree: 15% / 16% / 13%
• Strongly Agree: 19% / 19% / 19%

I feel enthusiastic about Kamala Harris.

• Strongly Disagree: 31% / 32% men / 31% women
• Disagree: 13% / 13% / 12%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 17% / 16% / 17%
• Agree: 18% / 20% / 15%
• Strongly Agree: 22% / 19% / 24%

I feel repulsed about Kamala Harris.

• Strongly Disagree: 35% / 31% men / 37% women
• Disagree: 13% / 14% / 11%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 21% / 22% / 21%
• Agree: 14% / 14% / 14%
• Strongly Agree: 18% / 20% / 17%

I feel disgusted about Donald Trump.

• Strongly Disagree: 24% / 26% men / 22% women
• Disagree: 13% / 15% / 11%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 15% / 13% / 16%
• Agree: 14% / 15% / 13%
• Strongly Agree: 34% / 31% / 37%

I feel angry about Donald Trump.

• Strongly Disagree: 24% / 26% men / 23% women
• Disagree: 14% / 16% / 13%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 19% / 19% / 19%
• Agree: 13% / 13% / 13%
• Strongly Agree: 29% / 27% / 31%

I feel afraid about Donald Trump.

• Strongly Disagree: 28% / 31% men / 25% women
• Disagree: 14% / 16% / 12%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 17% / 17% / 18%
• Agree: 17% / 17% / 17%
• Strongly Agree: 24% / 20% / 28%

I feel enthusiastic about Donald Trump.

• Strongly Disagree: 40% / 36% men / 43% women
• Disagree: 12% / 11% / 14%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 16% / 16% / 16%
• Agree: 13% / 16% / 11%
• Strongly Agree: 18% / 20% / 17%

I feel repulsed about Donald Trump.

• Strongly Disagree: 24% / 25% men / 23% women
• Disagree: 12% / 13% / 12%
• Neither Agree or Disagree: 18% / 17% / 19%
• Agree: 13% / 16% / 11%
• Strongly Agree: 32% / 28% / 36%

About the Media & Technology Survey

The Media & Technology Survey is an ongoing project of the Communication Research Center (CRC) at Boston University’s College of Communication. This month’s polls were conducted in English on October 31 to November 1, 2024, using Ipsos eNation Omnibus, a nationally representative online survey that measures attitudes and opinions of 1,002 adults across the United States, respectively. This online survey has a credibility interval (CI) of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The data were weighted to the U.S. population data by region, gender, age and education. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.