New poll shows broad support for age caps, term limits in Congress

WASHINGTON - A new poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans are in favor of setting age caps, as well as term limits, for members of Congress.

The poll, by NPR/PBS News/Marist, was conducted last month. 

New poll supports age caps in Congress

By the numbers:

According to the data, 80% of Americans strongly supported or supported  imposing a maximum age limit for candidates running for the Senate or House of Representatives.

Support for age restrictions crossed party lines with 78% of Democrats, 83% of Republicans, and 79% of independents saying a maximum age for candidates should exist.

Similarly, the majority of respondents were also in favor of term limits for members of Congress, with 83% of residents nationally strongly supporting or supporting limiting the number of times candidates can run for congressional office.

Here, too, bipartisan support existed with 78% of Democrats, 89% of Republicans, and 84% of independents expressing favor of term limits.

Poll finds little difference comparing generations

Dig deeper:

The poll also found that there were minimal differences when comparing generations, according to NPR.

The news outlet reported that older voters were just as likely to support age caps and term limits as younger voters.

Debate over age of political leadership

Big picture view:

The findings arrive amid growing calls from Americans for veteran lawmakers to hand leadership over to a younger generation.

The debate has also gained traction due to politicians, including President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden serving in their late 70s and early 80s, sparking discussions about fitness for office.

"I think it makes some sense that [we] do have older office holders, but that has some clear disadvantages," Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who studies generational difference, told NPR. 

"People can be in office longer, but should they?" she asked, explaining that as life expectancy has increased in recent decades, Americans are retiring later. "I think what this poll shows is a lot of people think the answer to that is no."

The backstory:

During his term in office, Biden revealed a plan proposing changes to the Supreme Court, including pushing Congress to establish term limits and an ethics code for the court's justices.  

RELATED: Biden unveils plan for Supreme Court reforms, including term limits

Biden wanted to get rid of lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress should pass a law to establish a system in which the sitting president would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in service on the court, the Associated Press reported.