By Althea Johnson, University Communications and Marketing
Researchers at the University of South Florida have released findings from a nationwide survey that measures attitudes related to several key election issues. The survey, sponsored by Cyber Florida at USF, addresses how Americans feel about topics including the economy, election fairness and political-related stress.
Among the results:
American voters express significant support for several of Vice President Kamala Harris’ key economic policy proposals but are divided on former President Donald Trump’s proposal to increase tariffs on imported goods.
- Among registered voters, 43% support Trump’s proposal to increase tariffs on imported goods, while 41% oppose the measure (16% report being “unsure”).
- Conversely, a large majority of voters (85%) support expanding tax-benefits for low- and middle-income households (including 88% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, and 86% of independents).
- Three-quarters of registered voters (76%) support increasing taxes on the wealthiest individuals (including 92% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans), while 70% support increasing taxes on corporations (including majorities in both parties and independents).
- A significant majority (80%) also support Trump’s proposal to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.
- Two-thirds of voters expressed support for Harris’ proposal to provide a tax credit for first-time homebuyers, including 84% of Democrats, 65% of independents, and 50% of Republicans.
Most voters agree that this year’s presidential election will significantly impact the economy moving forward, but Democrats and Republicans are divided on the current strength of the economy.
- 70% of voters, including 72% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans, agree that this November’s election “will have a significant impact on the strength of the economy” moving forward. (By comparison, only 62% of independent voters said the same).
- 51% of registered voters described the current U.S. economy as at least “somewhat strong,” while only 32% of independents and 17% of Republicans said the same.
Politics has been a source of chronic stress for two in three Americans over the course of this election year.
- 20% of registered voters cited politics as a “significant source of stress,” while another 46% cited politics as at least a “minor source of stress.”
- Despite significant and disruptive events – such as the attempted assassination of Trump and Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race – political stress has remained remarkably consistent over the course of 2024.
- 16% of Americans say that they’ve lost sleep over politics during the past month, while 27% say that politics has caused conflict between themselves and friends/family members.
Over the past three months, there has been a small but notable increase in voters’ focus on abortion and social policy issues. While immigration remains among the top three issues on voters’ minds, its importance has decreased from its high point in August.
- 28% of voters identified abortion as one of the top three issues influencing how they’ll vote this November, up 7% points from 21% in August.
- 37% of voters identified immigration as one of the top three issues influencing how they’ll vote (down from 51% in August).
- Inflation remained the most important issue on voters’ minds, with 50% citing it among the top three issues influencing how they’ll vote.
Democrats have seen a slight bump in their overall favorability advantage over Republicans in recent months.
- 44% of voters expressed an at least a “somewhat favorable” view of the Democratic Party, up from 41% in August. 43% indicated that they have an “unfavorable” view of the Democratic Party.
- 36% of voters indicated that they have at least a “somewhat favorable” view of the Republican party, while 49% indicated that they have an “unfavorable” view of the GOP. Both numbers were unchanged from those observed in August of 2024.
With a week to go before election day, most voters say that they’re confident in the integrity of the upcoming election. However, a significant portion of Republican voters continue to question whether the 2024 election will be conducted fairly.
- 71% of voters say they’re confident that the 2024 election will be conducted fairly, a slight increase from numbers observed in prior surveys.
- However, 46% of Republican voters say that they are either “not very” or “not at all confident” that the election will be conducted fairly.
Voters from both major parties indicated some level of belief in several false election-related claims, though belief in misinformation was notably higher among registered Republicans.
- 75% of Democrats and registered independents incorrectly believe that Trump has personally endorsed the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 policy agenda.
- 48% of Republican voters incorrectly believe that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, have stolen and eaten domestic animals, including household pets, from the surrounding community.
- 75% of Republican voters incorrectly believe that the Federal Emergency Management Agency waited several days before deploying helicopters to support rescue operations in affected communities following Hurricane Helene.
The nationwide survey included a representative sample of 1,500 registered voters, fielded Oct. 22-27, 2024. Results are reported with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error +/- 2.5%. The complete results can be found here.
This report marks the fourth and final quarterly survey conducted over the course of this election year, which re-emphasizes election-related stress, belief in election-related misinformation and the impacts of inflation.