AARP Polls: Coronavirus, Social Security Cuts Top 50+ Voter Concerns

Coronavirus concerns

More than 50 percent of voters surveyed in six battleground states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) said they were worried about getting the coronavirus. The greatest concern about the virus was in Florida and Michigan, where 58 percent of respondents said they were worried about contracting the virus.

More than 80 percent of voters in all six states said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who increased protections for nursing home residents during the pandemic.

“This is part of the whole theme that older voters are very concerned about their health and well-being, and that’s reflected in all the results – whether people being worried about getting the coronavirus or about the situation in nursing homes,” Hishta says. And those concerns, he says, is an example of an issue that transcends partisanship.

Opinions were mixed in the results of five state polls (Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine and Montana) over whether voters were more likely to support a candidate who is focused on keeping families healthy and reducing the spread of the coronavirus in their community or one who would concentrate on rebuilding the economy by reopening businesses. Voters in Georgia were tied at 48 percent on that question, while Maine voters expressed the widest disagreement, with 52 percent saying they wanted a candidate who would concentrate on reducing the virus and 41 percent favoring a nominee who focused on economic concerns.

Counting the Votes

Voters in five of the states surveyed (Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine and Montana) are divided between those who believe votes that are cast in person at a polling place and those that are mailed will all be counted accurately. For example, while 51 percent voters in Georgia believe the count of votes cast in person will be more accurate, 48 percent of voters in Colorado and Montana say mail and in-person ballots will both be counted accurately.

Voters also have varying views on whether the expansion of mail voting will lead to voter fraud. For example, in Georgia, 61 percent of voters 50-plus believe more mail voting will mean more fraud, while voters in Maine are split down the middle — 50 percent to 50 percent — on that question.

“Unfortunately,” Hishta says, “this issue, like a lot of others, has gotten caught up in the partisan divide of the country.”

Public Safety

Voters in five states were asked whether they were more likely to vote for a candidate who is focused on maintaining law and order and preventing looting and rioting in America’s cities, or a nominee who is focused on increasing racial justice and reducing police violence against unarmed African Americans. In four of the five states, more than 50 percent were more concerned with maintaining law in order. In Maine, 46 percent would support a candidate focused on law and order, while 44 percent prefer a candidate focused on racial justice.