CNN/ORC poll: Clinton tops Trump on presidential traits

CNN/ORC poll: Clinton tops Trump on presidential traits

 Courtesy: Jennifer Agiesta, CNNPolitics.com

The margin is narrower when voters are asked which of the two agrees with you on the issues that matter most to you, though Clinton still holds a significant lead, with 48% choosing Clinton and 40% Trump. The two are about even, however, when voters are asked who is a strong and decisive leader.

Here are steep divides on each of these questions by gender, race and education, with women, non-whites and those with college degrees more apt to choose Clinton in each positive statement tested, but little of the age gap that defined the presidential elections that brought Barack Obama to the presidency and is currently prevalent in the Democratic nomination fight.

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The poll also finds some doubts about the front-runners. Asked whether Trump or Clinton is better described as "a person you admire," Clinton has a 15-point lead over Trump, yet nearly one-quarter of voters say they admire neither candidate.

Within their own parties, the candidates are generally more highly regarded. Among Democrats, 73% have a positive take on Clinton, 71% Sanders. Among Republicans, 63% Trump favourably, 60% Cruz and 49% Kasich (that's down 10 points since February).Amid this slate of unpopular candidates, the parties themselves aren't faring well.

The Republican Party's unfavourable rating is at its highest level since the partial government shutdown in 2013, when it notched its worst ratings in CNN/ORC and CNN/Gallup polling dating back to 1992. Just 34% of adults in the new poll have a positive view of the party, 61% negative. Among registered Republicans, the view is rosier, 66% have a favourable impression, but that's still down from 73% favourable in January.

More have a positive take on the Democrats, 50% overall, with 45% saying they have an unfavourable view. That's up slightly since January, when 45% had a positive view.

The CNN/ORC poll was conducted by telephone March 17-20 among 1,001 randomly selected adult Americans, including 925 registered voters. The results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, and it is larger for subgroups.