Washington: Economic pressures, political divisions and concerns over election security are among the major issues shaping American voters’ priorities as the country heads into the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
According to a report on Reuters, citing a nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll, nearly half of registered voters (48%) identified the rising cost of living as their biggest concern. Democratic norms followed at 26%, while immigration was cited by 13% of respondents.
President Donald Trump also remains a significant factor in the electoral contest. Among those who had voted or planned to vote, 48% said their ballot was against Trump, compared with 25% who viewed it as a vote in his favour. Another 25% said he was not a factor in their decision.
The poll also revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the US military campaign against Iran, with 55% saying the action was not worth its cost, while 25% considered it justified.
Financial concerns were evident across households, with 49% saying their economic situation had worsened since January 2025, when Trump returned to office. Meanwhile, 77% expressed confidence that their votes would be counted, although 45% believed voter fraud was widespread.
Other issues influencing voters included transgender participation in women’s sports, restrictions on AI data centre construction and the growing influence of wealthy donors in elections. Some 42% considered limiting new AI data centres an important issue, while a majority opposed billionaires spending tens of millions of dollars to influence elections.
On political preferences, 43% of registered voters said Democrats had at least some good ideas, compared with 39% who expressed the same view about Republicans.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey covered 1,765 US adults, with a margin of error of three percentage points among registered voters.
