A new poll has found that Americans are weighing politicians’ age as a major factor in how well they think they can do their job despite the experience they bring with them.
The poll comes from CBS News and YouGov and found that when it comes to legislators over the age of 75, 80% of Americans were concerned about them being “out of touch” with those they represent.
Another 78% raised concerns about how well they could do the job at their age, while 68% said they would have helpful experience.
The concerns come as leaders above 75 in both parties have garnered extra attention with concerns about their health and their ability to serve the nation effectively.
When asked how respondents thought someone over 75 could handle the job as president, 53% said it would be “too demanding,” while 9% said it wouldn’t be, and 38% said it “depends.”
The numbers were similar when it came to the job of senator for those over 75, as 54% said it was “too demanding,” 10% said “not too demanding,” and 36% said it “depends.”
The pollsters also found that a majority of Americans would support putting maximum age limits in place for elected officials, with those in both parties being in favor of the hypothetical policy.
It wasn’t just younger people who supported maximum age limits either, as the poll noted that older Americans also supported capping the age at which officials can be elected.
In total, 77% of all Americans supported maximum age limits, along with 76% of Democrats, 77% of independents, and 79% of Republicans.
As for what age, the poll found that a majority thought it should be 70 years and older (48%), followed by 60 years and older (22%), 80 years and older (18%), and 50 years and older (8%).
Overall, a third of U.S. senators are over the age of 70, along with the president and the current GOP nomination frontrunner.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 8-5 and included the responses of 2,335 U.S. adults. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.