Voters were asked what the most important factor was in determining which candidate they’re voting for in the Nov. 5 election.
The most frequent answer was the economy. Overall, 21 percent of respondents chose the economy, including 35 percent of Republicans and people leaning Republican and 7 percent of Democrats and people leaning Democrat.
Immigration was picked by 13 percent of voters, primarily Republicans.
The most popular answer among Democrats was abortion issues/women’s rights. While just 2 percent of Republicans chose that answer, 16 percent of Democrats did.
Fourteen percent of Democrats and 1 percent of Republicans picked preservation of democracy. Another 9 percent of Democrats and 1 percent of Republicans chose dislike of a particular candidate. And another 8 percent of Democrats and 1 percent of Republicans picked ethics/morals/decency/honesty.
A small number of respondents picked the remaining options, which included competency/common sense/experience, maintaining the rule of law/equal rights/freedoms, a candidate’s character, and cost of living or inflation.
The survey was conducted Oct. 14–27. The results were drawn from a random weighted sample of 907 registered voters who live across all 50 states and Washington and plan to vote. The sampling error was plus/minus 4 percent.
Among the 933 registered voters who responded, 93 percent said they have already made up their minds about who they’re voting for, while 6 percent said they’re still deciding. Those who plan to vote included 323 Republicans, 304 independents, and 304 Democrats. The sample was weighted, according to Gallup, “to correct for unequal selection probability, nonresponse, and double coverage of landline and cell users.” The rest of the registered voters said they were not voting or had no opinion.
Vice President Kamala Harris was ranked slightly higher than former President Donald Trump in predictions on who would do a better job as president on specific issues, such as promoting national unity and reducing conflict around the world.
Trump received more support for keeping the U.S. safe from foreign threats. Republicans and Republican leaners were much more likely to answer Trump regarding who would do a better job as president, while Democrats and Democrat leaners were much more likely to pick Harris.
A majority of registered voters said they were more satisfied with how Harris’s campaign has been conducted, while 43 percent said they were satisfied with Trump’s campaign. While 89 percent of Democrats said they were satisfied with Harris’s campaign, 81 percent of Republicans expressed satisfaction with Trump’s campaign.
