Issues that American voters care about in the 2024 election
VTC News•18/10/2024
(VTC News) - Among the issues put on the "scale" of this year's US Presidential election, the economy is still a topic of interest to many voters.
According to Gallup, 52% of voters say the economy will be a deciding factor in their vote in November. Currently, most voters rate Donald Trump as better at handling the economy than Democratic challenger Kamala Harris, 54% to 45%. Here are some of the issues that voters care about most and will determine the outcome of this year's election.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are gaining ground in certain areas that voters care about. (Photo: Financial Times)
The economy tops the list The economy remains the top issue in the United States. Fifty-two percent of voters now say the economy is “very important” in influencing their vote in the presidential election, the highest level since October 2008, during the Great Recession, when 55 percent said the same.
Most voters still consider the economy to be their top concern. (Photo: Reuters)
In polls conducted close to the election in every presidential election year since 1996, between 38% and 44% of voters rated the candidates’ views on the economy as extremely important to their vote. Half of these ratings came from polls conducted in September or October, close to Election Day. The next issues ranked below the economy were democracy, national security, and Supreme Court justices. Accordingly, between 41% and 49% of voters said the following four issues were extremely important to their vote: democracy in the United States, terrorism and national security, the type of Supreme Court justice the candidates would choose if they were president, and immigration. Between 31% and 38% consider the following 10 issues to be extremely important, includingeducation , health care, gun policy, abortion, taxes, crime, the distribution of income and wealth in the United States, the federal budget deficit, foreign affairs, and the Middle East situation between Israel and Palestine.
Immigration is also one of the issues of concern in this year's election. (Photo: NPR)
For the next five issues, including energy policy, relations with Russia, race relations, relations with China and trade with other countries, only about 23% to 27% of respondents considered these issues “extremely important.” Two other issues, including climate change and transgender rights, were priorities for about 21% and 18% of voters, respectively. Party Differences Voters from both parties also differ on what issues they prioritize in this year’s election. Sixty-six percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents rate the economy as extremely important to their vote. On the other hand, only about 36 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents rate the economy as extremely important. The economy is the top issue for Republicans, but it is not among the top five issues for Democrats. In fact, the list of five priorities for Republicans and Democrats is markedly different. For Democrats, the issues they care about are American democracy, the election of Supreme Court justices, women’s abortion rights, health care, and education. Republicans, meanwhile, are focusing on immigration, terrorism and national security, crime, and taxes. The party’s split on whether the economy is of utmost importance is a stark contrast from 2008, when it was the issue that both parties ranked most highly. The Candidates’ Edge So far, voters rate Trump better than Harris on how he would handle the economy (54%), immigration (54%) and foreign affairs (52%). Harris, on the other hand, is more trusted than Trump on climate change (61%), abortion (56%) and health care (54%). On gun control, neither Trump nor Harris has made an impression on voters. As expected, Republicans and Democrats strongly support their party’s candidate on each issue. Majorities of Democrats, ranging from 88% to 97%, say Harris would be better on all of the issues mentioned. Meanwhile, Republicans are divided on how Trump will handle the issues. About 97% approve of his handling of immigration and the economy, 69% on climate change, and 78% on abortion. A quarter of Republicans say Harris would do a better job on climate change, and 16% say the same about abortion. By contrast, fewer than 11% of Democrats say Trump would do a better job than Harris on any issue. Voters from both parties are strongly positive about their party's candidate on the most important issues. Ninety-five percent of Republicans approve of Trump's performance. On the Democratic side, 92% say the same about Harris. Compared to a poll in June, Harris is gaining more support than incumbent President Joe Biden. At the time, 37% of voters said they agreed with Mr. Biden on the issues at hand, while Mr. Trump’s rating had barely budged since June.
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