close
close

Voters express deep concerns about America's democracy and economy

Posted on by Kennedy
Voters express deep concerns about America's democracy and economy

The state of democracy and the economy in the United States were the top issues for voters when casting their ballots in the 2024 presidential election, according to preliminary results from the NBC News Exit Poll.

35 percent of voters said democracy was most important to them, while 31 percent said the economy was most important. Abortion (14%) and immigration (11%) were ranked as the second most important issues, while only 4% cited foreign policy.

Both men and women said the state of democracy was their top issue, followed by the economy. Two in 10 women said abortion was most important, compared to 8% of men. Immigration was ranked slightly higher among men (12%) than among women (10%). Foreign policy remained a priority for both groups.

The exit poll results may shift throughout the night as more interviews are conducted and more votes are counted.

Follow live election updates

The issue priorities reflected voters' deep concerns. About three in four voters said they believe democracy in the U.S. is under threat today, while only a quarter said democracy is safe. About two in three voters said the country's economy was either not good or bad, while only a third of voters rated economic conditions as excellent or good.

All in all, the mood in the country is pessimistic: around three quarters of voters across the country assess the development of things in the country negatively, 43% say they are dissatisfied and 29% are angry.

And nearly half (45%) of voters said they are worse off financially today than they were four years ago. That's a higher dissatisfaction rate than in any presidential election since 2008, when 42% of voters said they were worse off after that year's financial crisis. Only one in four voters say they are better off today than they were four years ago.

The early exit poll results also show that voters who supported Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have different priorities on these issues.

A majority of Harris voters prioritized the state of democracy. Abortion was the second most important issue for Harris voters. Two in 10 of them said it was most important to their vote, followed by the economy, foreign policy and immigration.

Half of Trump voters said the economy was the most important issue of their choice, followed by immigration (20%), democracy (12%), abortion (6%) and foreign policy (4%).

Three in 10 voters nationally said leadership was the candidate's most important quality when choosing for president. About a quarter said they prioritize someone who can bring about the change needed, followed by a candidate who has good judgment (21%) and someone who cares about people like them (19%).

Preliminary exit polls also showed that just 41% of voters approved of President Joe Biden's job performance, while 59% disapproved. That's significantly lower than Trump's job rating (50%) when he lost re-election in 2020, underscoring that Harris needs voters who see her differently than Biden.

When breaking down the electorate by race, Trump's popularity rating among white voters has fallen compared to four years ago, while it has risen among black and Latino voters. 49 percent of white voters view Trump favorably, compared to 57 percent in 2020.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *