A substantial majority of voters who participated in the 2024 presidential election believe the US is heading the wrong direction, according to exit poll data.
About 70% of respondents believe the country is on the wrong track, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis, released in the final hours of voting Tuesday evening.
Other signs of frustrated voters picked up by the pollster include only 13% indicating that they or their family were “getting ahead” in the current economy, and 63% rating current economic conditions as “not so good” or “poor.”
A voter wears an “I Vomited” sticker after casting their ballot in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day, in Boise City, Oklahoma, U.S. November 5, 2024. REUTERSA majority (56%) said their family’s financial situation was “holding steady” – but 31% said they and their loved ones were “falling behind.”
When Fox News asked voters to identify the most important issue facing the country, 39% said the economy or jobs, while 20% said immigration and just 11% said abortion.
The Associated Press’ VoteCast exit poll similarly found that about 4 in 10 voters rated the economy and jobs as the most important problem facing the country; with roughly 2 in 10 saying immigration is the top issue; and about 1 in 10 indicating that abortion was their primary concern.
About 8 in 10 voters wanted “substantial change” in how the country is run, according to the AP survey.
Polling throughout the presidential race regularly indicated that voters trusted former President Donald Trump more than Vice President Kamala Harris on issues related to the economy and immigration policy.
More than half of voters told Fox News that they were “very concerned” about the cost of common items, including health care (54%), food (67%) and housing {51%).
A hair under half – 48% – were “very concerned” about gasoline prices, which hit record highs under the Harris-Biden administration during the summer of 2022.
Voters work on their ballots at a polling place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Simi Valley, California. AP
The headstone of Susan B. Anthony is covered in “I voted” stickers at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. APThe Fox News Voter Analysis also showed a clear majority of voters nationwide (63%) believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases while less than half (46%) signaled support for a ban on the procedure after 15-weeks of pregnancy.
Trump – over objections from some members of his own party – has rejected supporting federal restrictions on abortions. Just over half of respondents (53%) said they strongly or somewhat oppose the ban.
On immigration, approximately two-thirds of voters (66%) favored reducing the number of immigrants allowed to seek asylum in the US, while another 33% opposed reductions in migration.
Record levels of migrant crossings on the southern US border under the Harris-Biden administrations have left US immigration courts backlogged with more than 3 million asylum cases pending, and strained resources and finances in major US cities such as New York.
However, when asked about the status of those already in the US illegally, a narrow majority (56%) say they should be given the chance to seek legal status, while 43% say they should be deported.
