Older Voters’ Mood and Concerns: A Complicated Picture

Last week, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address to a divided Congress – and a divided nation – and it already feels like the 2024 election is right around the corner.

It’s much too soon for prognosticating. As the saying goes . . . eighteen months is a lifetime in politics. And, more and more, our politics seem to be predictably unpredictable. 

But, one thing is clear:  older voters, and particularly older women, remain the critical group to watch.

As a reminder . . . voters age 50 and over made up the majority of the electorate in 2022, and an AARP survey of battleground Congressional Districts found that 65+ voters, especially women, made the difference limiting Republican gains in the House. 

The latest AARP research in our She’s the Difference series paints a very nuanced picture of how these voters are feeling and what they care about coming out of the 2022 elections. 

In short . . . it’s complicated. 

The same party divide that we see in the electorate writ large, exists with the 50+ as well, coloring their views on the economy, democracy and the top issues facing the country.

For example, Republican 50+ voters overwhelmingly see the country as on the wrong track (94%), say America’s best days are behind us (72%), and believe the U.S. economy is not working well for them personally (72%). Meanwhile, 50+ Democrats are far more positive, with 62% saying the country is going in the right direction, 59% seeing America’s best days still to come, and 68% feeling the economy is working well for them personally.