September 29, 2020
Registered voters in Virginia have a more positive view of their local community and their state than the country overall across a range of issues including police violence and election security, according to a new Hampton University/AP-NORC Poll.
The survey also finds there could be a surge in voting by mail in Virginia for the upcoming presidential election, with 32% who plan to do so this year compared to just 5% who report typically doing so in the past.
Looking ahead to the election, more Virginia registered voters have confidence in how a Trump administration would handle the economy than a Biden administration, but more say a Biden administration would do well dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and health care.
All four candidates on the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets are seen more unfavorably than favorably among registered voters, but 47% see Joe Biden favorably compared to 37% who say the same about Donald Trump.
Only 27% of Virginia voters believe the country is headed in the right direction, and more than half see police violence as a problem nationwide.
Majorities of registered voters in Virginia support a variety of policies aimed at reducing police violence, but few favor reducing funding for law enforcement.
The poll also highlights varying levels of support on a range of prominent policy issues related to gun control measures, removing confederate statues and names from public places, and whether to reopen schools amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The statewide survey was conducted September 8-14, 2020 with 830 registered voters in Virginia. Interviews were conducted online and via telephone. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
