Voters align to cast their tallies at a ballot place in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, onNov 5, 2024.
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When asked, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” the response for several older citizens ages 50 and over was “no,” according to a brand-new postelection poll launched by AARP.
Almost fifty percent– 47%– of citizens ages 50 and over claimed they are “worse off now,” the research study located, while majority– 55%– of swing citizens because age associate claimed the very same.
In affordable legislative areas, President- choose Donald Trump won the 50 and over ballot by 2 percent factors– the very same margin whereby he lugged the nation, AARP located.
Among citizens 50 to 64, Trump won by 7 factors. With citizens ages 65 and over, Vice President Kamala Harris won by 2 factors.
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AARP appointed Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research, a bipartisan group of Republican and Democrat companies giving public point of view research study and consulting, to carry out the study. Interviews were performed with 2,348 “likely voters” in targeted legislative areas complying with Election Day in betweenNov 6 and 10.
Older citizens, that comprise an outsized share of the ballot and often tend to lean Republican, made a distinction in a great deal of essential legislative races, according to Bob Ward, a Republican pollster and companion at Fabrizio Ward.
“Overall, 50-plus voters really are what delivered Republicans their majority,” Ward claimed.
Older turn citizens concentrated on wallet concerns
When asked “How worried are you about your personal financial situation?” in a June AARP survey, 62% of voters ages 50 and over checked the worry box, while 63% of voters overall did the same.
Voters continued to place an emphasis on their money concerns on Election Day, the latest AARP poll found.
“All these surveys that we conducted for AARP spoke to a lack of economic security for people,” said Jeff Liszt, partner at Impact Research.
“The shock of inflation had left them without a feeling of security,” he said.
For voters ages 50 and over, food ranked as the top cost concern, with 39%, the poll found. That was followed by health care and prescription drugs, with 20%; housing, 14%; gasoline, 10%; and electricity, 6%.
More than half — 55% — of voters ages 50 and up said they prioritized personal economic issues, including inflation, the economy and jobs, and Social Security when determining their vote.
Older swing voters were more likely to turn out at the polls due to those pocketbook issues than any other priorities, the poll found.
Republicans won older voters on most personal economic issues, though voters ages 50 and up still favored Democrats on Social Security by 2 points.
Democrats have traditionally had a stronger lead on Social 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 going to be an issue I want to win on,” Ward said.
Voters 50 and over broadly support Medicare negotiating prescription drug prices, as well as policies to help the older population age at home. Nonfinancial issues such as immigration and border security and threats to democracy were also among top concerns for some older voters.
Social Security reform may be bigger focus
While both presidential candidates promised to protect Social Security on the campaign trail, they did not provide plans to restore the program’s solvency.
The trust fund Social Security counts on to pay advantages is predicted to run completely dry in 2033, whereupon 79% of those advantages will certainly be payable.
“What’s absolutely clear is that there’s an action-forcing event that we’re getting closer to, and that at some point Congress is going to have to act,” claimed Nancy Altman, head of state of Social Security Works, a campaigning for team concentrated on broadening the program.
While Trump has actually promoted strategies to get rid of tax obligations on Social Security advantages, research study has actually located that would certainly get worse the program’s bankruptcy. The House elected today to get rid of policies that minimize Social Security advantages for sure individuals that have pension plan earnings, which would certainly additionally include in the program’s prices.
For most Americans, Social Security is the key resource of retired life earnings, according to AARP. About 42% of individuals ages 65 and over count on the program for at the very least 50% of their earnings; around 20% count on it for at the very least 90% of their earnings.
Like Social Security, Medicare additionally deals with an impending depend on fund exhaustion for the Part A program that covers medical facility insurance coverage.
“We want to ensure that we’re protecting Medicare, Social Security and that it’s done in a fiscally responsible way,” AARP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERDr Myechia Minter-Jordan informed in a current meeting.
