Economy Ranks as Top Issue in Midterms for All Voters – But Partisans Differ Over the Importance of Other Issues

The economy is the dominant issue for midterm voters in this fall’s congressional elections. As Americans express growing concerns about economic conditions and the cost of necessities, 84% of registered voters say the economy is very important to their midterm vote. Republican and Democratic voters rate economy as top voting issue in midterms % of registered voters who say each of the following issues are very important to their vote in the 2026 congressional elections Note: Based on registered voters. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Republican and Democratic voters rate economy as top voting issue in midterms % of registered voters who say each of the following issues are very important to their vote in the 2026 congressional elections TopicAll RVsRepublican candidate supportersDemocratic candidate supportersThe economy848288The future of democracy736985Healthcare685382Education624874Immigration597253Foreign policy575664Energy policy544862Violent crime526437Abortion464349Gun policy455440Artificial intelligence (AI)443454Size and scope of the federal government435735Environment and climate policy411566Investigations into Trump and his administration36763Issues around race and ethnicity361852Policies related to gay, lesbian or transgender people231435 Note: Based on registered voters. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026. PEW RESEARCH CENTER It is the top issue among both voters who prefer Republican candidates in the congressional elections (82%) and those who back Democrats (88%). Clear majorities of Republican and Democratic voters also say the future of democracy is very important to their vote – though Democrats are more likely to say this than Republicans (85% vs. 69%, respectively).Republican and Democratic voters differ considerably over the importance of many other issues asked about on the survey. The two largest differences across the 16 items asked on the survey are on “investigations into Trump and his administration” (56 percentage point gap), as well as environmental and climate policy (51 percentage point gap) – both of which rank as very important for most Democratic voters but far fewer Republican voters. There are also sizable gaps on violent crime (which Republican voters are considerably more likely to see as important to their vote) and issues around race and ethnicity, healthcare and education (which Democrats are more likely to see as important to their vote). Artificial intelligence and the 2026 midterms Artificial intelligence (AI) ranks fairly low as an election issue: 44% of voters say it is very important to their vote this year. However, Democratic voters (54%) are more likely to say it is very important to their vote than Republican voters (34%). A separate question on data centers finds that voters across the political spectrum dislike political leaders who support building data centers in areas near them: 61% say this, while just 8% say they like political leaders who back data centers in their area. This sentiment is particularly widespread among Democratic voters: 75% dislike leaders who support data centers, while just 5% like this in a leader. Widespread dislike of political leaders who support building data centers locally, particularly among Democratic voters % of registered voters who __ political leaders who support building data centers in areas near them Note: Based on registered voters. No answer responses are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Widespread dislike of political leaders who support building data centers locally, particularly among Democratic voters % of registered voters who __ political leaders who support building data centers in areas near them GroupNET DislikeDislike a lotDislike a littleLike a littleLike a lotNET LikeNeither like nor dislikegroupAll RVs61431853831allRepublican candidate supporters442618861442xDemocratic candidate supporters75581731520x Note: Based on registered voters. No answer responses are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026. PEW RESEARCH CENTER But by about three-to-one, Republicans on balance also dislike leaders who support building data centers locally (44% say they dislike them and 14% say they like them). A sizeable share of Republicans express indifference, though: 42% say they neither like nor dislike this in a leader. How do 2026 midterm voting issues compare to 2022? The economy is the top voting issue for both Republican and Democratic voters in 2026. But Republican voters are less likely to say it is very important to their vote than they were to say this at a similar point before the 2022 midterms (82% now vs. 92% then). The reverse is true among Democratic voters: The economy’s importance has risen 23 percentage points since 2022 (88% today vs. 65% then). Immigration is seen as a more important voting issue among Democratic voters today than four years ago (+17 percentage points). Among Republican voters, 72% say it is important today and 76% said it was important in 2022. Abortion and gun policy are also considerably less central to Democratic voters’ considerations this year than in 2022. Among Republican voters, education policy and energy policy are less important than they were four years ago.