Republicans and Dems have very different views of the most important election issues
With the election less than four weeks away, Americans are still divided on the issues that matter most, with the line being drawn down the aisle.
According to a survey from Gallup, while 52% of voters say the economy is an “extremely important” issue this election, more Republicans are likely to call it their top issue than Democrats.
In total, two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters said the economy would be an extremely important factor when they cast their vote this November, compared to just 36% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents.
The pollsters acknowledged that the results were a stark contrast to what was seen in 2008 when both parties acknowledged the economy was a top issue.
The poll examined what was driving Democratic voters to the polls, with voters reporting that democracy (58%) is the top issue heading into this election, followed by Supreme Court justices that the candidates would pick (57%), abortion (49%), health care (45%), and education (40%).
For Republicans, the most important issues after the economy were immigration (63%), terrorism and national security (60%), crime (52%), and taxes (46%).
The responses received by Gallup help show the differences in how voters view the state of the country and the next four years. For example, the largest difference between the groups was immigration, with voters being 40 points apart, followed by 29-to 32-point differences for crime, climate change, the economy, the federal budget deficit, and terrorism/national security.
Overall, just three issues were rated as similarly important by Republicans and Democrats: education, relations with Russia, and gun policy.
“Partisans differ sharply in their views of the most important vote issues this year, with no common issues among each group’s top five,” the poll stated.
