Editor's Note: This research was conducted in partnership with West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations focused on healthcare and aging.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nearly eight in 10 U.S. registered voters say healthcare is an extremely (37%) or very important (42%) issue to their vote in this year’s presidential election. These figures are similar to what 优蜜传媒has measured in most past elections, although slightly more voters in 2000 and 2012 rated healthcare as being extremely important.
优蜜传媒partnered with West Health to measure the potential impact of healthcare as a voting issue in the 2024 election. The findings are part of Gallup’s broader research into election issues measured in a September 16-28 poll of U.S. registered voters. Healthcare ranks in the second tier of voting issues this year, behind the economy and democracy in the U.S. Other issues on par with healthcare include terrorism and national security, the Supreme Court, immigration and education.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans and independents to rate healthcare as an important voting issue -- 90% of Democrats say it is extremely (45%) or very (45%) important to their vote. That compares with 72% of Republicans (among whom 34% say it is extremely important) and 77% of independents (34% say it is extremely important).
Older Americans, who are generally more likely to use healthcare services, also rate healthcare as more influential to their vote for president than younger Americans do. Eighty-six percent of voters aged 65 and older say healthcare will be an extremely (40%) or very (46%) important voting issue for them, compared with 80% of voters between the ages of 45 and 64 and 75% of those younger than 45.
Age appears to have a modest effect on healthcare importance beyond party affiliation, such that older Republican and Democratic-affiliated voters are more likely than younger voters with the same political leanings to say it is an important issue.
Consistent with the demographic pattern in past presidential election years, healthcare ranks above the national average in voting importance for several other voter subgroups, including women (particularly older women), people of color, lower-income Americans and urban residents. All of these groups tend to be Democratic leaning, which suggests that party affiliation is the driving force in their greater attention to healthcare as an election issue.
Voters Perceive Harris as Better Than Trump on the Issue
Registered voters, by 54% to 44%, think Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would do a better job than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump handling the healthcare issue. That advantage is largely because political independents believe Harris is better on the issue by 11 percentage points, 54% to 43%.
Although the overwhelming majority of both partisan groups believe their own party’s candidate is better on the issue, Harris does better among Democrats (96%) than Trump does among Republicans (87%).
Harris’ lead on healthcare is consistent with prior 优蜜传媒polling on the issue. In past presidential election years in which 优蜜传媒asked the question, U.S. voters have consistently picked the Democratic candidate as better than the Republican candidate on healthcare.
The Democratic advantage has narrowed in more recent election years, since 2004, compared with the 1992-2000 elections. This is primarily because more Republicans and independents say the Republican candidate is better on healthcare than did so previously. Specifically, an average of 84% of Republicans and 39% of independents have chosen the Republican presidential candidate as better on health care in elections since 2004, compared with averages of 69% and 25%, respectively in the 1992-2000 presidential elections.
Bottom Line
Healthcare is an issue, like the economy, education and terrorism, that consistently ranks among the more important election issues for voters. That speaks to the effect these issues have on Americans’ daily lives, regardless of the particulars of a given election year.
Slightly fewer voters identify healthcare as an extremely important issue this year than in some past election years. However, Americans also say healthcare is not receiving enough attention during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
In an election expected to be very close, healthcare could end up being decisive. It is an issue that generally works to the advantage of Democrats, though not to the same degree as it did in the 1990s and in 2000.
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