The economy is the clear focal point for voters, with 38% identifying it as the most important issue in the upcoming presidential election. Immigration and abortion are tied for second place, each cited by 14% of voters, while all other issues fall into single digits.
Only 28% of voters currently view economic conditions positively, but this represents an improvement from the 19% who felt this way in August 2022. It’s also just one point shy of where the economy stood in the early days of Biden’s presidency, when 29% believed the economy was in good shape.
On a personal level, 43% of voters rate their financial situation positively—the highest number in over two years. However, this is still 10 points lower than the positive rating seen during Biden’s first year in office, when 53% were optimistic about their finances.
Despite these improvements, majorities continue to rate the national economy (73%) and their personal financial situation (57%) negatively.
When it comes to handling the economy, Trump holds a 6-point advantage over Harris, a margin that is narrower than his double-digit leads over Biden in three of the last four Fox News surveys. Trump also leads on border security by 19 points, immigration by 14 points, foreign policy by 7 points, and crime by 5 points.
Harris, however, is viewed more favorably on issues such as climate change, where she leads by 18 points, abortion by 16 points, health care by 10 points, and uniting the country by 5 points. Neither candidate has a decisive advantage on gun policy (Trump +3) or Supreme Court nominations (Harris +3).
The priorities of voters vary significantly across party lines. Among Republicans, the economy (49%) and immigration (25%) dominate. Democrats have a broader range of concerns, with the economy (25%) and abortion (24%) leading, followed by health care (11%), election integrity (10%), and climate change (9%). For Independents, the economy is the top issue (44%), followed by immigration, abortion, health care, and election integrity, all near 10%.
Additionally, 70% of voters believe that political debate in the country is “overheated and dangerous,” with more people blaming Republicans (44%) than Democrats (28%) for the current state of discourse.
