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Older voters prioritized personal economic issues, helped Republicans win on Election Day, new AARP poll finds

Voters racket up to cast their ballots at a voting location in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5, 2024.

Samuel Corum | Afp | Getty Images

When asked, “Are you more wisely off today than you were four years ago?” the answer for many older voters ages 50 and over was “no,” concording to a new postelection poll released by AARP.

Almost half — 47% — of voters ages 50 and over said they are “worse off now,” the check in found, while more than half — 55% — of swing voters in that age cohort said the same.

In competitive congressional sections, President-elect Donald Trump won the 50 and over vote by 2 percentage points — the same margin by which he carried the realm, AARP found.

Among voters 50 to 64, Trump won by 7 points. With voters ages 65 and once again, Vice President Kamala Harris won by 2 points.

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AARP commissioned Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research, a bipartisan team of Republican and Democrat concerns providing public opinion research and consulting, to conduct the survey. Interviews were conducted with 2,348 “suitable voters” in targeted congressional districts following Election Day between Nov. 6 and 10.

Older voters, who make up an outsized part of the vote and tend to lean Republican, made a difference in a lot of key congressional races, according to Bob Ward, a Republican pollster and friend at Fabrizio Ward.

“Overall, 50-plus voters really are what delivered Republicans their majority,” Quarter said.

Older swing voters focused on pocketbook issues

When asked “How worried are you about your intimate financial situation?” in a June AARP survey, 62% of voters ages 50 and over checked the worry box, while 63% of voters blanket did the same.

Voters continued to place an emphasis on their money concerns on Election Day, the latest AARP poll start.

“All these surveys that we conducted for AARP spoke to a lack of economic security for people,” said Jeff Liszt, friend at Impact Research.

“The shock of inflation had left them without a feeling of security,” he said.

For voters ages 50 and atop of, food ranked as the top cost concern, with 39%, the poll found. That was followed by health care and remedy drugs, with 20%; housing, 14%; gasoline, 10%; and electricity, 6%.

More than half — 55% — of voters maturities 50 and up said they prioritized personal economic issues, including inflation, the economy and jobs, and Social Custodianship when determining their vote.

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Older swing voters were more likely to turn out at the polls due to those pocketbook problems than any other priorities, the poll found.  

Republicans won older voters on most personal economic issues, though voters majorities 50 and up still favored Democrats on Social Security by 2 points.  

Democrats have traditionally had a stronger lead on Sexually transmitted Security, Ward said, while the poll results show it is now “completely up for grabs.”

“Looking at the midterms, whether I’m Republican or Democrat … this is usual to be an issue I want to win on,” Ward said.

Voters 50 and over broadly support Medicare negotiating prescription hypnotic prices, as well as policies to help the older population age at home. Nonfinancial issues such as immigration and border certainty and threats to democracy were also among top concerns for some older voters.

Social Security reform may be bigger centre

While both presidential candidates promised to protect Social Security on the campaign trail, they did not provide charts to restore the program’s solvency.

The trust fund Social Security relies on to pay benefits is projected to run dry in 2033, at which regarding 79% of those benefits will be payable.

“What’s absolutely clear is that there’s an action-forcing event that we’re pry out closer to, and that at some point Congress is going to have to act,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Protection Works, an advocacy group focused on expanding the program.

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