Voters split on whether democracy, economy is bigger concern in 2024

Likely voters across the political aisle diverge on whether having a strong economy or functioning democracy is a bigger concern over the next few years, according to a new CBS/YouGov poll.

Fifty percent of the total likely voters polled said having a strong economy is the higher concern, while the other half of respondents said having a functioning democracy was the bigger concern.

Broken down by party identification, 64 percent of Democratic voters said having a functioning democracy as a higher concern, and 36 percent listed having a strong economy as the bigger concern. Among Republican voters, 35 percent said a functioning democracy was a greater concern while 65 percent said a strong economy was more of a concern.

Independent voters were split closer down the middle, with 52 percent saying a functioning democracy was the bigger concern and 48 percent saying a strong economy.

Among the age groups polled, those aged 64 or lower largely leaned slightly toward a strong economy as the higher concern, with 56 percent of respondents 30 years old and younger and 54 percent between the age of 30 and 64 choosing the economy. But among those 65 and older, only 39 percent chose having a strong economy as the issue of higher concern, with 61 percent finding having a functioning democracy of greater concern.

The matters of the economy and preserving democracy were the top concerns among registered voters when deciding who they would support in the 2024 presidential election, according to a Quinnipiac poll released last June.

The new CBS/YouGov poll comes just before the GOP primary officially begins Monday with the Iowa caucuses, where the primary candidates are vying to secure the support of the first state in the election cycle.

The poll surveyed 2,870 adults in the U.S. between Jan. 10-12, 2024, and has a margin of error of ±2.5 points.