In a recent poll conducted by the New York Times/Siena College, it has been found that a plurality of voters believe former President Donald Trump's policies while in office were more helpful to them personally than the current President Joe Biden's actions. With the upcoming square off between the two leaders in eight months, these findings shed light on the preferences of the American public.

Among the respondents, only 18% stated that they felt personally benefited by Biden's policies, while 40% believed that Trump's actions had a positive impact on their lives. Furthermore, when asked about negative effects, 43% mentioned being affected negatively by Biden's actions, compared to 25% who expressed the same sentiment about Trump.

The poll indicates that across various demographic groups, voters were more favorable towards Trump's policies than Biden's. When asked if the incumbent's policies had personally helped them, 19% of white voters, 17% of black voters, 15% of Hispanic voters, 17% of female voters, and 18% of male voters agreed that they had benefited from Biden's actions. In contrast, when the same question was asked about Trump, 44% of white voters, 26% of black voters, 37% of Hispanic voters, 41% of male voters, and 39% of female voters stated that his policies had been beneficial to them personally.

Biden's campaign responded swiftly to the poll, criticizing its accuracy. The campaign's communications director, Michael Tyler, emphasized that polling often fails to reflect the true sentiment of the American public and referred to their 2020 victory as evidence of this.

Aside from gauging personal preferences, the New York Times/Siena College poll also assessed the support of registered voters. It revealed that Trump enjoyed 48% support, while Biden received 43%. When strictly considering likely voters, the margin only narrowed by one percentage point, with Trump holding 48% support and Biden with 44%.

Interestingly, the poll demonstrated some concerns among voters regarding the age of both candidates. 61% of Biden's 2020 voters expressed that they believe he is too old for a second term, joined by 73% of all registered voters who held the same view. In comparison, 42% believed that Trump was also too old for a second term.

In terms of favorability, Trump surpassed Biden with a net rating of -10 percentage points, garnering 44% favorable opinions against 54% unfavorable. Biden, on the other hand, received a -21 rating with 38% favorable opinions and 59% unfavorable.

While the poll highlighted some positive aspects for Trump, it also revealed that 53% of registered voters believed he had committed serious federal crimes. In contrast, 36% disagreed with this notion. Trump is currently facing 91 criminal counts across four indictments and has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

The poll, conducted between February 25 and 28, surveyed 980 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Looking at historical trends, Gallup surveys indicate that voters often have retrospective approval for previous administrations. On average, the approval ratings of nine out of the last eleven presidents jumped by 12 percentage points.

Additionally, based on the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls, Trump currently holds a 2.3-point lead over Biden in a potential general election rematch. Biden also trails behind Trump in aggregates for most of the seven key battleground states.

The upcoming square off between Trump and Biden in eight months will mark the first time since 1912 that voters will witness two former presidents competing against each other in a general election. During that historic election, both Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft ultimately lost to Woodrow Wilson.