Less than a month away from the US election, the latest polls show that the majority of voters consider the economy to be the most important issue in the election, with former President Trump leading Vice President Harris on this issue.
A Gallup poll conducted from September 16 to 28 surveyed 941 registered voters, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
The Gallup survey found that 52% of voters consider economic issues to be “extremely important” to them and will determine their vote in November.
This is the highest proportion of voters focusing on economic issues since the financial crisis in October 2008 when 55% of voters held the same view. The Gallup poll shows that during the worst period of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 44% of voters viewed economic issues as extremely important in their voting choices.
The Gallup survey also found that no other issue surpasses the 50% threshold to be considered extremely important by voters. Less than half of those surveyed (49%) stated that the US democratic system is extremely important to their voting choices.
The survey revealed partisan divides on the issues considered most important by voters. Approximately 66% of Republicans and lean-Republican independents believe that economic issues are extremely important, whereas only 36% of Democrats and lean-Democrat independents share the same view.
On the economic issues, the survey showed that Trump has a slight majority of respondents’ approval, with over half of voters (54%) believing he would handle economic issues better than Harris.
According to a report by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, despite cooling inflation and decreasing unemployment rates in the US, with various indicators showing the economy is moving in a stable direction, inflation remains severe and voter sentiment remains pessimistic about the economic outlook, which has left Democratic presidential candidate Harris feeling dismayed. Joanne Hsu, an associate professor of research at the University of Michigan, pointed out, “While consumers are aware that inflation has slowed down, they still feel frustrated by high prices.”
A poll released by The New York Times and Siena College on Tuesday showed that nearly half of respondents believed the current economic condition is “very bad.”
Multiple polls indicate that the economy is the top concern for voters, especially the issue of inflation. Despite Harris’s efforts to narrow the gap with Trump on economic issues, polls show that voters favor Trump, the former president, on economic issues.
Meanwhile, former President Trump is capitalizing on this voter sentiment, repeatedly claiming that he created the “greatest economy in American history” and it was the Biden-Harris administration that ruined it.
On October 6, Trump told the media, “Inflation is destroying our economy,” linking the recent strike actions by dockworkers on the East Coast to inflation and emphasizing the serious impact inflation has on workers. He also claimed, “If Harris is elected, inflation will skyrocket,” while promising to “make America affordable again.”
(This article referenced reporting by The Hill)