Debates Help Fuel Strong Interest in 2016 Campaign

As candidates in both parties prepare for the next round of presidential debates, a new national survey finds that the public is highly engaged by the 2016 campaign. Fully 74 percent of Americans say they have given a lot or some thought to the candidates, higher than the shares saying this at comparable points in the past two presidential campaigns. Nearly seven-in-ten (69 percent) say they have watched at least some of the televised debates between the candidates.

In December 2007 -- the most recent election in which there were contested nominations in both parties -- just 43 percent reported watching any of the debates. The latest national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Dec. 8-13 among 1,500 adults, finds that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those who watched the debates say they have been helpful in learning about the candidates. And about half of debate watchers (51 percent) say they have found the debates “fun to watch.”