The Democrats have an edge in voter trust on 7 of the top 10 issues for voters. This is the third straight month where that has been the case. A majority (53%) rate the top issue as either the economy or inflation. Voters have trusted Democrats more on these issues for the past 5 months.
The Economy and Inflation
Overall, 76% consider the economy Very Important to how they will vote, and Democrats have led in this area for 5 straight months. This month, 38% of voters trust Democrats more on the economy while 37% trust Republicans more.
Over the past 5 months, Republican support has ranged from a low of 34% to a high of 37%, while Democratic support has gone from a low of 38% to a high of 41%. The Republican low coincided with the Democratic high, leading to an optimistic D+7 advantage in July. Taken in light of this month's plus D+1 advantage, the reality is likely somewhere in between. In fact, over the past 5 months where the Democrats have led, the Democratic edge has been at the exact midpoint: 4 points.
Seventy percent (70%) of voters consider the issue of inflation Very Important to their vote. On this topic, 38% of voters trust Democrats more, while 34% trust Republicans more. Those current results match the 5-month average, and are also down from a high-water mark of D+7 in July.
On both the economy and inflation, the Republican numbers match President Trump's approval rating on each of these issues.
Summing It Up
Overall, in our standard list, the economy, inflation, and health care have been the top 3 issues for voters since May. In addition to the recent 5 month streak for Democrats on the economy and inflation, they have a long-standing lead on health care that goes back over a year.
Democrats have now also led for 5 months in another critical area: the question of who voters trust on the issue most important to them. Forty-one percent (41%) of voters trust Democrats more on their top issue, while 37% trust Republicans more. This month's D+4 is 6 points lower than July's optimistic 10-point edge, but up a point from the 3-point advantage in May and June.
