Most registered voters believe the economy is a “very important” issue when deciding if they’ll vote for President Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
A survey by Pew Research Center, released roughly two weeks before Election Day, found 84% of voters who lean Trump and 66% of voters who lean Biden prioritize the economy before casting their ballots, totaling to 74% of all voters. A greater proportion of black voters and Hispanic voters, 81% and 80% respectively, see the economy as “very important” compared to 73% of white voters. Among men and women, 73% and 74% respectively agreed the economy was very important.
The country’s ongoing economic malaise primarily stems from state lockdowns in response to the coronavirus, an issue that Pew identifies as dividing voters. Although 82% of voters who lean Biden see the coronavirus as a “very important” issue before casting their vote, only 24% of voters who lean Trump consider the subject equally important. The number has stayed consistent among Biden-leaning voters but declined from 39% to 24% among Trump-leaning voters since August.
Healthcare joins the economy in the topics most voters labeled as “very important,” but there is a wide gap between Trump supporters and Biden supporters on the issue. 82% of voters leaning toward the Democratic nominee viewed the issue as “very important,” while only 44% of those who favor the president agreed.
Regardless of who the voters favor, they appear to be in sync on weighing the importance of Supreme Court appointments. Sixty-six percent of Biden-leaning voters and 64% of Trump-leaning voters labeled the topic as “very important.” Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the end of September to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Biden supporters haven’t moved from their position in August, but 69% of Trump supporters said the issue is “very important” to them.
The survey was conducted between Oct. 6-12, after the president’s coronavirus diagnosis, among 10,059 U.S. adults, including 8,972 registered voters. The margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.
