The key facts
- 39% of voters named the economy as the top issue, 32% the state of democracy, and 14% immigration
- 75% consider the US economy 'not so good or poor,' and 65% link the deterioration to Trump's policies
- 79% said inflation caused serious or moderate hardship for their family over the past year
Voters' top issues
The economy and the state of democracy have become the top concerns for American voters in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a Voter Poll survey, the results of which are reported by BBC News. The poll is conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of news organizations and covers tens of thousands of voters, including early voting and Election Day voting; the data is broken down by age, gender, education and other demographic characteristics.
The economy comes first
In the survey of more than 79,000 people, 39% named the economy as the most important issue, 32% the state of democracy, and 14% immigration; healthcare, foreign policy and crime ranked first among a smaller share of respondents. Meanwhile, 75% of those surveyed rated the state of the national economy as 'not so good or poor' and only 25% as 'excellent or good.' About their personal finances, 44% said they were worse off than two years ago, 38% said about the same, and 18% said better off.
Assessment of Trump's policies
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) believe that President Donald Trump's policies have worsened the country's economic situation; 28% believe they have improved it, and 8% say there has been no effect. Attitudes toward Trump also shaped voting motivation: 43% cited expressing disagreement with him as the reason for their vote, 41% said he was not a factor, and only 16% voted to express support.
Moods and inflation
38% of respondents said they are angry about how things are going in the United States, another 37% said they are dissatisfied; 18% are satisfied and 7% are enthusiastic. According to the survey, inflation caused serious or moderate hardship for 79% of voters and their families over the past year; 21% reported no hardship. On the price of gasoline and diesel fuel, 59% are 'very concerned,' and 58% are concerned about grocery prices. At the same time, 62% of respondents believe that higher-than-usual prices are more likely the result of Trump's policies, while 38% attribute them to factors beyond his control.
Data limitations
BBC emphasizes that, as with all polls, these figures are estimates and will likely be updated as new data comes in. The publication came out on Election Day, so the final voting results and the poll's final figures had not been tallied at the time of publication.
Image source, Reuters 
