8 in 10 say economy and inflation will factor heavily on their votes: poll

Eight in 10 Americans in a new poll said that the economy and inflation will play a major role in deciding who they vote for in November’s midterm elections.

As the elections loom just weeks away, 81 percent of respondents said the economy will factor heavily in their vote, while 80 percent said the same of inflation, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday.

The next closest factor for voters was crime, with 64 percent saying that issue would play a major role in deciding their vote, the poll found.

All three of these issues favor Republicans, who have frequently sought to focus the midterms on these factors. The poll shows that Republicans lead Democrats in voter confidence in their ability to handle these issues.

Forty-six percent said they trusted Republicans more on the economy, compared to 39 percent who said the same of Democrats. Republicans’ lead expands on the issue of inflation, with 46 percent saying they trust Republicans more to handle the issue, compared to 37 percent who said they trust Democrats more. 

On crime, 45 percent said they trusted Republicans more, while 38 percent said they trusted Democrats more, according to the poll.

Inflation continued to accelerate in September, coming in at 8.2 percent. Despite a drop in gas prices, rising housing, food and medical costs kept inflation stubbornly high. The Federal Reserve is likely to continue raising interest rates in an effort to slow the economy. However, they also risk triggering a recession, which many are concerned is looming.

Rising crime rates have also been a favored talking point for Republicans this cycle. However, violent crime decreased slightly in 2021 compared to 2020, according to data from the FBI. Murder rates also slowed after skyrocketing in 2020.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll was conducted Oct. 14-16 with 2,005 registered voters and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.