image: Importance of Healthcare as a Voting Issue in U.S. Presidential Elections.
Credit: West Health - Gallup
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oct. 9, 2024 – Though in this year’s presidential election healthcare has seemingly taken a back to other issues including the economy and democracy, nearly eight in 10 registered voters still say the issue that has been critical in nearly every presidential campaign in modern history, remains extremely (37%) or very important (42%) to whom they cast their vote, according to a new a West Health-Gallup poll of voters. This sentiment is consistent with what’s been expressed in most previous elections, although slightly more voters in 2000 and 2012 rated the issue as being extremely important.
West Health and Gallup partnered 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. In the survey, terrorism, national security, the Supreme Court, immigration and education ranked similar in importance to healthcare but also behind the economy and democracy.
“Healthcare so far has been one of those important but sleeper issues in this election, but one that needs a serious reckoning,” said Tim Lash, President, West Health Policy Center, a nonprofit organization focused on healthcare and aging. “Politicians, policy makers and elected officials who ignore or downplay the issues of healthcare affordability, prescription drug pricing, access and equity do so at the risk of their campaigns, but more importantly at the risk of the general public.”
Democrats are more likely than Republicans and independents to view healthcare in higher importance, with 90% saying it is extremely (45%) or very (45%) important to their vote. This compares to 72% of Republicans who rank healthcare an important issue, but a third (34%) of these registered voters, also found healthcare extremely important to them. The issue is even more so for independents, 77% deeming it important and a third of these voters also indicate its extremely important.
Registered older American voters, who are more likely to use healthcare services, rate healthcare as a bigger factor to their vote than younger Americans. In this voting bloc of people 65 and older, 86% say healthcare will be an extremely (40%) or very (46%) important issue when it comes to their vote, compared with 80% of those between ages of 45 and 64 and 75% of those younger than 45.
Nonetheless, age appears to have a modest effect on the importance placed on healthcare 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.
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 healthcare. That advantage is largely seen because independents believe Harris is better on the issue by 11 percentage points, 54% to 43%. Republicans and Democrats believe their own party’s candidate is better on healthcare, but Harris does better among Democrats (96%) than Trump does among Republicans (87%).
Harris leading in healthcare is consistent with prior Gallup polling. In past presidential election years in which the question was asked, U.S. voters have consistently picked the Democratic candidate as better than the Republican candidate on healthcare. It is notable however, the Democratic advantage has narrowed since 2004, compared with the 1992-2000 elections.
Methodology
Results for this West Health-Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Sept. 16-28, 2024, with a random sample of 941 registered voters, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of registered voters, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
About West Health
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.
About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.
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