Elections
AARP Election Watch 2006: Pulse of a Generation
Research Report
Curt Davies, AARP Knowledge Management
William E. Wright, AARP Knowledge Management
November 2006
Learn More
- Survey Home
- Government Spending (PDF)
- Medicare (PDF)
- Social Security-10/26 (PDF)
- Long-Term Care (PDF)
- Healthcare Coverage (PDF)
- Consumer Privacy (PDF)
- Social Security-9/25 (PDF)
- Prescription Drugs (PDF)
- Identity Theft (PDF)
Related links
Issues and Elections Important to Citizensover 50
On this page: This week's Issue | Previous Results | More Information
This series of surveys of age 42+ Americans, who constitute the population segment most likely to vote, explores their opinions regarding issues that AARP members have indicated they want to hear discussed in the national and state public discourse leading up to the 2006 midterm elections. A different issue is featured in each of the surveys along with consistent weekly tracking of changes in voters' interest levels and opinions.
Issue for the week of Nov. 6:
Government Spending
Mixed feelings about government spending, debt and taxation are evident in the responses of 1,500 age 42+ likely voters surveyed by AARP between October 23rd and 29th of whom...
- 83 percent say the rising budget deficit will be a serious consideration in their voting decisions (40% very serious, 43% somewhat serious)
- 76 percent report being likely to vote for candidates supporting increased spending on domestic concerns such as healthcare, Medicare and Social Security
- 47 percent favor creating a 3-to-5 percent national sales tax dedicated to paying healthcare costs for children and the uninsured
The latter two responses were distributed almost evenly across all three of the survey's age groups: ages 42-50, ages 51-60 and age 61+.
Top of PagePREVIOUS RESULTS
Medicare | Social Security | Long-Term Care | Healthcare Coverage | Consumer Privacy | Social Security | Prescription Drugs | ID TheftIssue for the week of 10/30: Medicare
From the reactions of 1,006 age 42+ likely voters surveyed by AARP between October 20th and 23rd, the new Medicare prescription drug plan is likely to be an important election issue this year for boomers and older Americans. Of those surveyed about the plan...
- 48 percent think it will be good for older Americans who have difficulty paying for their prescriptions
- 37 percent think it will be good for older Americans
- 11 percent think it will be very good
Awareness of the prescription drug plan is high among respondents who report having read, seen or heard about it...
- a great deal (27%)
- a fair amount (23%)
- some (21%)
- very little (20%)
- nothing at all (6%)
Issue for the week of 10/23: Social Security
Opposition to private accounts is high among midlife and older Americans who say it will be a consideration in their voting decisions. Of the 1,503 age 42+ likely voters surveyed between October 6th and 13th, 2006...
- 72 percent oppose private accounts
- 58 percent strongly oppose private accounts which is seven times greater than the 8 percent who strongly support private accounts
- 65 percent said they are unlikely to vote for candidates supporting the use of Social Security taxes to fund private accounts
- 80 percent want Congressional candidates to strengthen the existing Social Security program while 11 percent want them to create private accounts
Issue for the week of 10/16: Long-Term Care
Between September 29th and October 6th, 2006, AARP surveyed 1,501 age 42+ self-described likely voters and found that...
- 72 percent across all age groups support a shared approach to long-term care where both government and individuals pay the costs (75% ages 42-50, 72% ages 51-60, and 69% ages 61+)
- 74 percent said they are either very likely (30%) or somewhat likely (44%) to vote for candidates who support government and individuals sharing the costs of long-term care
Issue for the week of 10/09: Healthcare Coverage
Of 1,501 self-described likely age 42+ voters surveyed between September 25th and October 1st...
- 77 percent say they are either very likely (41%) or somewhat likely (36%) to vote for candidates supporting a plan for national healthcare coverage
- 78 percent agree that the federal government should see that everyone has at least minimum healthcare benefits, including the 61 percent of the entire sample who strongly agree
These sentiments were found almost equally in all three of the survey's age groups: ages 42-50, ages 51-60 and age 61+.
Issue for the week of 10/02: Consumer Privacy
Of 1,500 baby boomers and older Americans surveyed between September 18th and 25th...
- 83 percent described themselves as either very likely (46%) or somewhat likely (37%) to vote for candidates who support protecting consumers' privacy
- 84 percent across all age groups want candidates in their districts and/or states to address the issue of protecting consumers' credit and financial privacy (84% ages 42-50, 88% ages 51-60, and 83% ages 61+)
Issue for the week of 9/25: Social Security
Of 1,504 baby boomer and older American likely voters surveyed between September 8th and 15th...
- 71 percent oppose private accounts and are more than six times as likely to strongly oppose private accounts (57%) than to strongly support them (9%)
- 64 percent said they are either not at all likely (38%) or not very likely (26%) to vote in the November elections for a candidate who supports using Social Security taxes to fund private accounts
- 79 percent want candidates for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to work to strengthen the existing Social Security program rather than work to create private accounts (12%).
Issue for the week of 9/18: The Cost of Prescription Drugs
- Of the 1,502 age 42+ baby boomers and older Americans surveyed between August 22nd and 27th, 64 percent consider paying for prescription drugs to be either a major (43%) or a minor (21%) financial problem.
- The cost of prescription drugs is likely to be a voting issue in the November 2006 elections for 74 percent of this age group, especially among minorities, the less educated and those with lower incomes.
Issue for the week of 9/11: ID Theft
Of the 1,003 age 42+ Americans surveyed between September 1st and 10th...
- 77 percent think federal legislation is needed to provide greater protection of identifying information
- 83 percent are likely to vote for a candidate who supports federal legislation to provide greater protection of identifying information.
These sentiments were found almost equally in all three of the survey's age groups: ages 42-50, ages 51-60 and age 61+.
National random digit dial telephone surveys of representative samples of age 42+ individuals were conducted for AARP by Woelfel Research, Inc. Further information may be obtained by contacting Tammy Gordon of AARP Media Relations at 202-434-2560.