Former Secretary of State and 2016 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a problem with honesty, at least insofar as how she’s perceived by the American public.
A December Economist/YouGov poll shows that Clinton, when compared among the leading seven Democratic and Republican candidates for presidency, ranks lowest among the public overall in terms of perceived honesty and trustworthiness.
More than half of those polled — 53 percent — described the leading Democratic candidate as "not honest and trustworthy." An overwhelming 85 percent of Republican respondents described her as dishonest, and 56 percent of independents said the same, while 24 percent of Democrats agreed with this statement.
The only leading candidate who comes close to rivaling Clinton’s deficit of trust among Americans is Donald Trump, who was characterized as dishonest by 51 percent of respondents. Trump, similarly, was described as “honest” by only 33 percent of those polled, only two points above Clinton. Clinton's low 31 percent rank of being characterized as "honest" was beaten only by Senator Ted Cruz, who ranked at 29 percent.
To make matters worse for Clinton — and in an ironic twist — the presidential candidate who fared best overall when it comes to perceived honesty and trustworthiness was her Democratic rival, Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders also revealed the lowest levels of perceived dishonesty — only 27 percent — among those polled overall.
The poll did reveal a few silver linings for Clinton: more than half — 59 percent — of Democrats polled considered Clinton honest, and most Americans overall claimed they prefer Clinton over Sanders as the Democratic nominee.
“Clinton’s low trust numbers clearly pose a challenge for her campaign,” Will Jordan, YouGov America elections editor, told O’Dwyer’s. ”However, she continues to be rated highly in other areas, like strength and leadership ability, which may be offsetting some of the effect.”
A similar Economist/YouGov Poll conducted last year revealed that, among respondents who dislike Clinton, “liar” was the word used more than any other to describe her. Among respondents who like Clinton, “strong” was the most common word used.
The Economist/YouGov Poll was conducted between Dec.4-9 and surveyed approx. 2,000 U.S. adults. A summary of the results can be found here.
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