What issues matter most to voters heading into the November election?
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) – With the November election just five weeks away, candidates are looking to address the top issues voters care about in order to win in November.
Political experts say the data show costs are a top concern for most Wisconsinites. According to Marquette University Law School Poll data from August, inflation and the cost of living remains by far the most frequently cited problem facing voters, with 43% saying it is most important to them. Immigration and border security is a distant second at 12%.
The next four issues are each related to the cost of living, including health insurance, jobs and the economy, property taxes, and the affordability of housing.
“I think you see that in the advertising from both sides,” said Charles Franklin, the director of the Marquette University Law School Poll.
Kevin Dospoy, the director of research with Forward Analytics, says his organization is seeing the cost of living as a main issue for people, and that extends into other issues as well.
“Affordability of housing, affordability of childcare, affordability of healthcare, everything all ties together,” Dospoy said.
When the MU Poll asked which is the second-most important issue, inflation and the cost of living remained at the top, followed by jobs and the economy, health insurance, immigration and border security, and property taxes.
What’s top of mind for voters has changed over time. Franklin says those issues and how they resonate with voters are driven by real world events. When those events pass, then the issue goes away.
“There are seasonal things and hearty perennials,” Franklin said. “The hearty perennials are like the economy. That will always be on people’s minds, and in good economic times, something else will rise to replace it. Seasonal issues are things like the Supreme Court making a big decision on abortion and all of a sudden that becomes the most important problem. Or 25 years ago, the World Trade Center was attacked, and national security, terrorism and the war in Afghanistan became a very important issue.”
The issues ranking the lowest with registered voters are data centers, abortion policy, public schools, and crime in the respondent’s community.
Marquette University Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin
“There may be differences between the gubernatorial candidates on how to handle immigration, but obviously that is driven out of Washington and by the president.”
While data centers rank low in MU Poll responses, 78% of voters said the cost of data centers outweighs the benefits. Franklin points out how a generally negative view of data centers overall is notable.
“People just don’t rate it as that important compared to the other things in their lives,” Franklin said.
A new Marquette University Law School Poll will be released on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
