Poll: Nearly 60% of voters want change in 2016 election

Nearly 6 in 10 voters are eager for change in the 2016 presidential election, which could pose a challenge for Jeb Bush or Hillary Rodham Clinton.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journalpoll released Monday night showed 59% of registered voters believe it's more important to find a candidate who will bring greater changes to current policies — even if that person is less experienced and tested. That compares to 55% who said the same in July 2008 when Barack Obama and John McCain faced off amid the Democrat's call for "hope" and "change."

Even at this early stage in the 2016 race, the cry for change doesn't bode well for Bush and Clinton — the two candidates with strong ties to previous presidential administrations. Six in 10 voters say Bush, a former Florida governor and the son and brother of presidents, represents a return to policies in the past. That includes 42% of Republicans.

On the flip side, 27% of all voters (including 49% of Republicans) believe Bush will provide new policies and vision if he's elected to the presidency.

By comparison, 51% of voters — but just 24% of Democrats — say Clinton, a former secretary of State who served under Obama, is a reflection of past policies. An overwhelming majority of Democrats (73%) say Clinton would provide new ideas for the future, along with 44% of all voters.

So who stands to benefit if 2016 is an election about change? Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio right now are generating more appeal with GOP voters than Bush, with 53%  saying they could back Walker and 56% saying the same for Rubio.

The survey of 1,000 adults was taken March 1-5 and has an error margin of 3.10 percentage points. Among GOP primary voters, 229 people were interviewed for an error margin of 6.48 points. On the Democratic side, 262 interviews were conducted with an error margin of 6.05 points.