More than half of Republicans will likely watch debate: poll

More than half of Republicans surveyed said they will likely watch the first GOP presidential debate Wednesday night, according to a new poll. 

The survey from The Economist/YouGov showed 58 percent of Republicans said they will definitely or probably watch the debate, while 38 percent of Democrats said the same.

A total of 42 percent of all adults surveyed said they will at least likely tune in, while 43 percent said they will at least probably not. 

Independents were the least likely in the poll to indicate that they would watch, with only 31 percent saying they would definitely or probably watch. 

The poll was taken before former President Trump confirmed he would not take part in the debate. Trump is instead sitting down with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for an interview that is expected to be released as the debate begins at 9 p.m. EDT.

Pollsters found 60 percent of respondents said the debates are very or somewhat important to them in deciding their views on a presidential candidate, including 69 percent of Republicans. 

The debate will likely feature eight candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), former Vice President Mike Pence, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. 

Multiple outlets have reported that Burgum injured himself playing basketball Tuesday, requiring a trip to the emergency room and potentially putting his appearance at the debate in jeopardy. 

The poll also showed Trump with a significant lead over the rest of his GOP rivals, with 53 percent support. DeSantis came in second at 15 percent, while the rest of the candidates were in the low single digits. 

Trump said that he will not attend the debate despite meeting the Republican National Committee’s polling and fundraising requirements for participation. 

The candidates who will appear on the stage will likely face a difficult balancing act of trying to improve their standing in the polls without alienating Trump’s supporters. 

The poll was conducted Aug. 12-15 among 1,500 U.S. adults, including 416 Republicans, 527 Democrats and 556 independents. The margin of error was 3.2 percentage points.