A new CNN poll shows that public opinion on President Trump’s impeachment is unchanged following two weeks of impeachment hearings in the House.
The poll shows that the number of Americans who support removing Trump from office is the same as it was in October, before the hearings began.
Fifty percent of Americans say Trump should be removed from office compared to 43 percent who say he should not. The opinions were largely split down party lines, though independents are split on the issue. About 47 percent of independent voters support removing Trump compared to 45 percent who oppose.
Trump’s approval rating is unchanged from October as well. CNN shows it at 42 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove.
Hearings did affect some opinions:
Though the public opinion stood firm on Trump’s removal, the poll did show that 53 percent now believe that Trump improperly used his office for political benefit, up from 49 percent in October.
More than 55 percent of voters now say Trump’s pressure to investigate Joe Biden was to benefit himself, not to fight corruption in Ukraine.
Men and women are particularly divided on Trump’s impeachment. Sixty-one percent of women back removing Trump, up from 56 percent in October, while 53 percent of men oppose his removal.
Public opinion did shift -- before hearings:
Although the hearings appear to have swayed few people, there was a significant shift in polling before the hearings began.
In September, a majority of voters said they didn’t support Trump’s impeachment, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average, while just 40 percent of voters were in support.
Heading into November, polls show that 48.6 percent support removing Trump while 44 percent oppose.
