Voters’ Economic Outlooks Are Bleak—And More Trust Republicans Than Democrats To Handle The Issue

Topline

More voters trust Republicans to handle their most important issues—the economy, inflation and crime—a new poll found, though they don’t seem to have a clear advantage at the voting booth.

Key Facts

The economy, inflation and crime are the top issues voters will consider when casting their ballots on November 8, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll of 2,005 registered voters taken from October 14 to October 16 (margin of error -/+2) and released Wednesday.

More voters (81%) said the economy would play a major role in their voting decisions more than any other issue, followed by inflation (80%) and crime (64%).

The survey found 46% of voters have more faith in Republicans in Congress to handle the economy, compared with 39% who said they trust Democrats, while 46% trust the GOP on inflation versus 37% for Democrats.

A larger share of voters trust Republicans (45%) versus Democrats (38%) to deal with crime, but have more confidence in Democrats when it comes to gun policy (45% versus 40% for the GOP).

The majority of voters (53%) believe the economy will get much worse or somewhat worse in the next year, and 93% are very concerned or somewhat concerned about the economy.

Voters were mostly split—45% choosing Democrats, 44% Republicans—when asked which party they would vote for if the election was held today.

Key Background

The poll is consistent with findings from a multitude of surveys released in recent weeks showing that voters’ concerns about the economy outweigh those related to abortion access. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday found just 5% of likely voters said abortion was the most important problem facing the country, compared to 26% choosing the economy and 18% selecting inflation. One contrast with the Politico/Morning Consult Poll—49% of the 792 voters polled by the Times and Siena said they would vote for a Republican congressional candidate versus 45% for Democrats.

Big Number

54%. The percentage of voters who disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance.

Tangent

When asked about the January 6 Capitol riot, most survey respondents said they definitely or probably believe former President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and 48% said he should be criminally prosecuted for it.

Further Reading

Republicans Gain Ground With Voters As Economic Concerns Hamstring Democrats, Poll Finds (Forbes)

Voters In Competitive Congressional Districts Are More Likely To Vote Republican—These Are The Races To Watch (Forbes)

Voters pessimistic on economy, inflation as Election Day approaches (Politico)