Majority of People in YouGov Poll Advocate for Mandatory Testing of Older Politicians

As calls rise for cognitive tests for lawmakers, 76% of Americans in a new poll support a mandatory mental competency test for politicians over the age of 75.

Just 13% of Americans oppose mandating mental competency tests for elected officials older than 75 in the latest poll conducted by YouGov for The Economist.

There were 11% saying they were unsure, but an overwhelming combined majority (76%) either strongly (52%) or somewhat (24%) support cognitive tests.

While those self-identifying as President Joe Biden’s voters did not side with the majority on strongly supporting mandated cognitive tests (47%), former President Donald Trump’s self-identified voters did at 64%.

Trump, 77, is nearly four years younger than Biden, who turns 81 on Nov. 20. Biden is the oldest president ever elected and oldest to serve in the White House, and his many verbal, cognitive, and physical missteps have raised questions about his fitness to serve another term.

Democrats and Republicans at least somewhat back mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75, but the GOP is considerably stronger at 84% versus 70% for Democrats.

A majority of Americans (57%) say Biden’s health and age would “severely limit” his ability to fulfill his duties as president if he were reelected in 2024. Just 30% said the same about Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., poll-tested even worse than Biden on concerns about his mental fitness. A majority 59% said age and health “severely limit” McConnell.

Notably, even Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., poll-tested 1 point better than Biden (56%), and she has struggled with simple speech and had to surrender power of attorney to her daughter last month.

The Economist/YouGov Poll was conducted Sept. 2-5 among 1,329 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.