AARP Battleground Voter Survey

The AARP Battleground Voter Survey was commissioned as part of Divided We Fail to identify undecided "swing voters" in 6 key battleground states for the 2008 Presidential election and explore policy issues that will motivate these voters.

The survey identifies who undecided, swing voters are – white, lower-to-middle income, older women – in six key states: Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Swing voters in these states are focused domestically on the economy and health care, but three-fourths (72%) believe the candidates are doing a poor or fair job of addressing these key issues.

"Undecided swing voters are older women, focused domestically on the economy and health care and do not feel that either candidate is adequately addressing these issues," said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond.

The polling found that 60 percent of swing voters say they are interested in learning more about the candidates' positions on the issues that matter most to them. Perhaps most importantly, the research indicates that nearly all swing voters (94%) in the six key states agree that health care and financial security are too big for any one candidate or party to fix.

"Both candidates must be willing to work across party lines to deliver legislative solutions," added LeaMond. "The way they're campaigning now, however, is not getting it done. People want a change not just in the White House, but in how Washington does business. The candidates need to set a tone in this election that doesn't continue to undermine the public's faith and trust."

When asked what the most important issue was to swing voters, twice as many picked the economy than picked foreign policy issues, which came in second. Health care came in third.

Unlocking the swing vote

How do Senators McCain and Obama unlock the swing voter? The research showed that nationally, four specific proposals resonated most:

• 93 percent favor requiring clear explanations of health care costs so patients know how much they will be charged upfront;
• 90 percent favor requiring schools to teach financial literacy to all children;
• 90 percent favor making healthcare affordable for small businesses by allowing them to band together for lower rates, providing tax credits to offset employer premium contributions and protecting them from large rate increases; and
• 89 percent favor establishing preventive care management to help people with multiple chronic illnesses receive better care at lower cost.

"Senators McCain and Obama need only to engage the critical voters on the issues of economic security and health care," concluded LeaMond. "AARP looks forward to being there, every day from now until Election Day, ensuring that the candidates do just that."

More about the survey

The AARP Battleground Voter Survey obtained telephone interviews with a random sample of 400 likely voters who are undecided or not strongly committed to a candidate in each of 6 states (Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) aged 18 and older. The interviews were conducted in English by Woelfel Research, Inc. from June 27 to July 20, 2008. The results from the study were not weighted. The margin of sampling error for each state sample of approximately 400 is ±4.9%.