The indictment of former President Donald Trump on felony charges in New York looks to be having little effect on Americans' support for his candidacy, but a majority of Americans say bringing charges against the ex-president was "a good thing" for the rule of law in the country.
The CNBC All-America Economic Survey found that 58% of participants said Trump's indictment would have no effect on how they vote, with men ages 18 to 49 years, non-conservative Republicans and those earning less than $30,000 among those least likely to be influenced by the development.
"For Independents, it does lean them a little bit negative, but not overwhelmingly so," said Jay Campbell, partner at Hart Research, which served as the Democratic pollster for the survey.
A quarter of those polled said they are less likely to vote for the former president due to the indictment. Women – especially younger women – Black Americans and those with college and post-graduate degrees are most likely to say their vote has been affected.
The survey, which polled 1,000 people across the country, was conducted between April 6 and April 11 and has a margin of error of +/-3.1%.
At the same time, 53% of the public agreed with the statement that the indictment "is a good thing for the country, because it shows that no one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States." It was overwhelmingly supported by Democrats, but also 64% of younger Americans, 60% of women and 54% of Independents.
By contrast, 37% of respondents agreed with the statement that the indictment "is a bad thing for the country, because it sets a precedent of politicians using the justice system to seek retribution against each other." Partisanship again played a big role, with 74% of Republicans agreeing with that statement, joined by narrow majorities of rural residents, white men and non-college-educated Americans.
There were some divisions among Republicans. Only 7% of Republicans who identify as "very conservative" thought the indictment was a good thing for the country, compared to 22% of those who are non-conservative Republicans.
The split was not quite as wide on the other side of the aisle: 92% of liberal Democrats supported bringing the indictment, compared to 80% of non-liberal Democrats.
