Poll: Clinton viewed as more qualified to serve as president

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is viewed as more qualified than her Republican rival to serve as president, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

{mosads}Sixty-two percent of likely voters say Clinton is qualified to serve in the Oval Office, and 38 percent view the former secretary of State as not qualified for the job.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s numbers are the inverse, with 38 percent saying he is qualified and 61 percent saying he is not.

But in a separate Quinnipiac survey released the day before, Trump had made significant inroads among likely voters, receiving 43 support compared with 48 percent for Clinton. The same poll a month earlier showed her with a 10-point lead.

Those surveyed view the Democratic nominee as dishonest, according to Thursday’s data, with 55 percent saying she is not honest enough to be president and 43 percent saying she is. For Trump, 50 percent say he is honest enough to be president and 48 percent say he is not.

The poll also finds that 61 percent think the way Trump talks “appeals to bigotry.” Three-quarters of likely voters say the GOP nominee should release his tax returns, which he has repeatedly refused to do.

More than half of likely voters don’t think Clinton believes she “has to play by the same rules as everyone else,” according to the poll.

Likely voters also view Trump as more transparent than Clinton, 54 percent to 37 percent.

A majority of likely voters say Clinton has the right kind of experience to be president, 68 percent to 31 percent. Only 34 percent say Trump has the right kind of experience to serve in the White House, and 65 percent say the opposite.

The poll finds 88 percent of likely voters think Clinton is intelligent, and 69 percent say the same of Trump.

More than half of likely voters also think Clinton cares about average Americans, 53 percent to 46 percent. For Trump, only 44 percent say he cares about average Americans. Fifty-five percent say the opposite.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 8 to 13 among 960 likely voters. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points.