Midterm Polls Show Economy Dominates Voter Concerns, Party Gaps Emerge

The economy is the headline act in the run‑up to the 2026 midterms, and the audience is not impressed. An NBC poll released Sunday found that 75 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the U.S. economy, and 51 percent were unhappy with their personal financial situation.

Other October surveys paint a similar picture of voter anxiety. A Pew Research Center poll conducted September 28‑October 4 reported that 84 percent of registered voters said the economy was “very important” to their midterm vote. The figure rose to 88 percent among Democrats and 82 percent among Republicans.

Beyond the economy, the two parties diverge on several issues. The Pew poll showed 85 percent of Democratic supporters considered the future of democracy “very important,” versus 69 percent of Republicans. Healthcare ranked as a priority for 82 percent of Democrats but only 53 percent of Republicans.

Immigration and violent crime were more salient to Republican voters. Seventy‑two percent of Republicans said immigration was “very important,” compared with 53 percent of Democrats. Likewise, 64 percent of Republicans flagged violent crime as a top concern, against 37 percent of Democrats.

A Kaiser Family Foundation (AKFF) survey of registered voters conducted September 16‑21 found that 42 percent trusted Democrats more to handle healthcare costs, while only 22 percent placed that trust in Republicans. On the broader cost‑of‑living issue, 39 percent trusted Democrats more, versus 25 percent for Republicans.

Views of former President Donald Trump remain sharply partisan. In the Pew survey, 91 percent of Democratic respondents and those leaning Democratic believed Trump’s economic policies had made things worse.

As voters head to the polls on Tuesday, the data suggest a nation united in economic frustration but split on how to address the rest of the agenda.