With just five weeks remaining until the election of the 47th U.S. president, more than half of Americans say protecting Medicare and reducing health care costs are among the most important issues influencing their choices at the ballot box, a new survey finds. What’s more, two-thirds of respondents think health care isn’t receiving enough attention in the 2024 campaign.
Analytics firm Gallup and West Health, a group of nonprofits focused on aging and health care, polled more than 3,600 U.S. adults 18 and older on health care issues. The results of the survey, given Sept. 9–16, were published Sept. 30. Roughly 1,300 people were surveyed after the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, but the polling methodology indicates little variation in respondents’ attitudes before and after the debate.
Survey participants reported candidates’ positions on the following health care issues were the “single most important” or “among the most important” factor(s) in determining their vote for president on Nov. 5:
- Protecting Medicare/Social Security: 63%
- Reducing the cost of health care: 57%
- Lowering drug costs: 47%
- Policies related to mental health care access: 43%
“Americans remain concerned over high health care prices and the future of Medicare and Social Security—even though other issues dominate during this election cycle,” Timothy Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, said in a news release about the poll. “This is especially true for older Americans, a significant voting bloc.”
View this interactive chart on Fortune.com
For more on healthy aging:
- How Medicare could change under a Trump or Harris presidency
- Yes, you can get the COVID, flu, and RSV vaccines at once. Here are the pros and cons
- RSV can be deadly, especially for older adults. What to know about symptoms and the new vaccine
- Older adults should get their flu shots now. Here’s why they also need stronger vaccines
- COVID sickens older adults most severely, but less than half say they’ll get the new vaccine
