Majority of American voters say 2016 presidential campaign has 'brought out worst in people': Poll

The heated US presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and her rival Donald Trump has "brought out the worst in people", nearly 70 per cent of American voters say.

A new poll from Monmouth University finds 70 per cent of American voters say that this year's presidential campaign has "brought out the worst in people", something about which Democrats (78 per cent), Republicans (65 per cent), and independents (66 per cent) concur.

The US election between 68-year-old Clinton and 70-year-old Trump will take place on November 8.

Nearly half of Trump's voters (47 per cent) say that the campaign's harsh language is justified, compared to only 17 per cent of Clinton voters and 21 per cent of voters who are either undecided or are supporting a third party candidate.

"Half of Trump supporters seem to be saying let the expletives fly, but many voters blame both sides equally for the negative tone of this year's campaign," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute was quoted as saying by NJ.Com.

Meanwhile, the poll also found that the harsh tone in this year's election have actually ended many friendships over disagreements, with 7 per cent of voters saying that they have lost or ended a friendship due to this year's race.

The poll was conducted from September 22-25 with 802 registered voters in the US. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

(PTI)