Should presidential candidates be required to take a cognitive test?

In a nationwide poll, here is what we found:

  • Nearly 85% of voters nationally and in battleground states support cognitive testing

  • Republicans are more likely than Democrats to want cognitive testing – 89% to 82%.

  • 47% of all voters and 49% of independents “think that Donald Trump is currently showing signs of mental or cognitive decline.”

  • Most respondents think the ideal age of a president is in their 50’s, less than 6% think a candidate in their 70's, or older, is ideal. 

  • Over 50% of voters believe Donald Trump is not fit to be president. 

  • Nearly 49% of voters believe Donald Trump is too old to be president when 44% believe he is not. 

The total number of respondents to the most recent polls is 9,000. The sample for the national is n=2,000, with a credibility interval of +/-2.1%. The sample for each of the state polls is n=1,000, with a credibility interval of +/-3.0%. The state polls were conducted in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

The survey was administered by contacting respondents’ cell phones via MMS-to-web and landlines via Interactive Voice Response with respondents provided by Aristotle and an online panel provided by CINT. ​​The survey was conducted by Emerson College Polling, and sponsored by the organization Healthcare for Action PAC.