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Reagan continues to project an image as a President with the determination to "stand up to the Russians" more forcefully than Carter. The Governor is generally viewed as a man who would bring better people into Government than the President; who would have done more to get the hostages out of Iran; who would keep U.S. defenses strong; who would "make Americans feel good about themselves" and who would do more to decrease U.S. dependence on foreign oil. He is also widely identified as being in favor of an immediate tax cut, a position approved of by 64% of all voters.
In small ways, there are signs that both major contenders are achieving a degree of acceptance among voters. The sharply negative judgments about Carter's presidency are softening; 55% of those surveyed think Carter is actually a better President than he is given credit for. Reagan, on the other hand, has managed to overcome to some degree the inherent doubts many voters have about any chal lenger's ability to be President. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed say Reagan has shown presidential stature by the way he has been conducting his campaign.
Although there is a small drift to ward Carter, the race quite clearly is virtually even. The key variable may be the degree of turnout among the sup porters of the two candidates, which the Yankelovich survey makes no attempt to predict. But the poll did ask whether voters were looking forward to Election Day or whether they wished they did not have to make any choice at all. Thirty percent say they would rather avoid making a selection. That figure, moreover, rises to 55% among the undecided, the very group now tending toward President Carter. What is more, fully one-third of minority group voters who are heavily for Carter share this lingering reluctance to vote. And it will be these reluctant voters who are likely to make up their minds, once and for all, only in the final hours of the campaign. They will decide which man will win the White House.
*The study was based on a national sample of 1,632 registered voters interviewed from Oct. 14 to 16. The sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, and 4.5 percentage points when compared with previous TIME studies.