President Donald Trump adjusts his jacket during a tour of Apple’s Mac Pro manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas, November 20, 2019.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
Ahead of a historic House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, a new CNBC All-America Economic Survey finds the nation evenly divided on the question, but about one in five Americans are either open to changing their mind or unsure.
The poll of 800 Americans nationwide found that 45 percent disapprove of Congress impeaching Trump and 44 percent approve, a split that’s little changed from September. Of those who have an opinion either way, 10 percent say they are open to changing their minds and 11 percent are unsure.
The poll, conducted Dec. 10-13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
The poll shows a massive partisan split, with 78 percent Democratic support for impeachment and 83 percent Republican opposition. Independents disapprove of impeachment 46 percent to 41 percent.
Big economic approval
Meanwhile, Trump’s economic approval numbers surged back to their highest levels in a year.
The new numbers reverse a sharp decline from the last poll in September that coincided with the House’s decision to launch impeachment proceedings. The president’s overall approval numbers also rebounded, but remain deeply negative.
The positive change in both approval ratings suggests the initial announcement of impeachment had a sharply negative effect on Americans’ attitudes about the president, but numbers have now rebounded much closer to the average levels for the Trump presidency.
The survey shows 49 percent of Americans approving of the president’s handling of the economy, up from 42 percent in September. Disapproval on the economy dropped to 40 percent from 50 percent. As a result, President Trump’s net economic approval rating swung from minus 8 percent in September (the first negative of his presidency) to plus 9 percent, a massive 17-point move for the series.
The President’s overall approval also improved, but not nearly as much as on the economy. The survey finds 49 percent of Americans disapproving of the job President Trump is doing and 40 percent approving. The minus 9 percent net approval number, however, is a strong improvement from -16 in the September survey.
