Campaign Insights

Aug 31, 2023, 4:30pm

65% of people support a mandatory retirement age for politicians.

65% of people support a mandatory retirement age for politicians.
With 25% of congress over the age of 70 and an 80 year old president, we wanted to see how Americans felt about the age of our politicians and the idea of mandatory retirement. In addition, we wanted to see if that opinion could affect the 2024 presidential election.

Highlights

Is cognitive decline real? When does it start? While an air traffic controller is forced to retire at 56 years old and a pilot at 65, some of our country’s leaders are making impactful decisions into their 80’s. Does it matter?
We asked Americans, “Should there be a mandatory retirement age for politicians?” This is what we learned.
Should there be a mandatory retirement age for politicians?
  1. We surveyed over 1,211 Americans across the country to see how they felt about mandatory retirement for politicians.
  2. 65% believe there should be a mandatory retirement age for politicians.
  3. 81% of respondents in favor of a mandatory retirement age said the limit should be between 60-75 years old.
  4. 77.2% of respondents said that Joe Biden should not run for re-election with 64.7% of them citing “age/cognitive function” as the reason.
  5. When broken out by political affiliation, 85.6% of Republicans and 59.5% of Democrats think Joe Biden should not run in 2024.
  6. A new independent, third-party poll by AP-NORC confirms our results that roughly 77% of people don’t think Joe Biden should run for re-election, citing his age as the main issue.

Results

Utilizing Campaign Insights’ sophisticated digital polling technology, we asked Americans how they felt about a mandatory retirement age for politicians.
Should there be a mandatory retirement age for politicians?
Based on 1,211 respondents, 65% of people agree that there should be a mandatory retirement age for politicians.
We then asked the“yes” responders where that age limit should be. 81% said somewhere between 60-75, with 32.4% saying between 66-70 and only 7.6% saying over 80.
Where should that age limit be set?
Out of the current 16 potential 2024 Presidential candidates, 10 of them, or 62.5% are 60 or older and only 3, or 18.8% are under 50:
Biden (80), Trump (77), Johnson (75), Hutchinson (72), Elder (71), Williamson (71), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (69), Burgum (67), Pence (64), Christie (60), Scott (57), Binkley (55), Haley (51), Hurd (46), DeSantis (44), Rasaswamy (38)
Next we asked if people thought Joe Biden should run for re-election. 77.2% of respondents did not think Joe Biden should run for re-election. This number was then confirmed by a new, third-party poll by AP-NORC.
Do you think Joe Biden should run for re-election in 2024?
Of the respondents who think Joe Biden shouldn’t run for re-election, 64.7% said it was due to his “Age/Cognitive Function.”
Why shouldn't Joe Biden run again?
While it’s somewhat expected that 85.6% of Republicans don’t think Joe Biden should run again, a majority of Democrats at 59.5% also think Joe Biden should step down after his term.
Do you think Joe Biden should run for re-election in 2024?
When we break the reason out by party, Democrats and Republicans agree that it’s because of his “age/cognitive function.”
Why shouldn't Joe Biden run again?

The Process

By leveraging our Realtime Polling technology, we keep our finger on the pulse of the American public. From views on candidates, to the issues that resonate in homes across the country, our goal is to get an accurate, real-time reaction to real issues. With such an impactful tool, it’s important we continue to highlight relevant data and reveal how Americans are really feeling.

Discussion

Based on our national results, Americans are skeptical of our aging politicians, with a majority agreeing that we should have a mandatory retirement age for politicians. As Joe Biden continues to struggle in the polls (see our previous poll), we can’t help but wonder who the Democrats might choose to fill his seat, and will their age be a factor? As of now, only Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianna Williamson are stepping up against Joe Biden, but with Kennedy at 69 years old and Williamson at 71 years old, is the door open for a younger candidate?

Campaign Insights’ Realtime Polling surveys differ from traditional online surveys in that the questions are shown to the user on web pages in place of an ad. Unlike Google Surveys, which block access to content until the questions are answered, Realtime Polling surveys are optional, thus ensuring that participants are responding voluntarily.