Is COVID-19 an important voting issue? Biden, Trump supporters disagree

Plus, what happens after polls close in a U.S. presidential election October 24, 2020 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ Only 24% of Trump supporters view the coronavirus outbreak as a ‘very important’ voting issue Registered voters in the United States continue to rate the economy, health care and Supreme Court appointments as very important voting issues. But those who support Donald Trump and Joe Biden differ widely on the importance of several issues – and the gap over the importance of COVID-19 has widened considerably since August. About eight-in-ten Biden supporters (82%) say the coronavirus will be very important to their vote, compared with just 24% of Trump supporters. Fewer mothers and fathers in U.S. are working due to COVID-19 downturn; those at work have cut hours See all COVID-19 research Election night marks the end of one phase of campaign 2020 – and the start of another Over the years, Americans have gotten used to their election nights coming off like a well-produced game show, with the big reveal coming before bedtime. In truth, elections have never been quite as simple or straightforward as they appeared. Here’s our guide to what happens after the polls close on election night, from how and when votes are cast and counted to the roles of the electors and Congress. Key facts about Black eligible voters in 2020 battleground states Democrats’ advantage over Republicans among Florida registered voters has shrunk since 2016 See all Election 2020 research Americans plan to follow election returns closely; Biden supporters more confident their news sources will make right call For the first time since the coronavirus outbreak began in earnest in the U.S., Americans are following the 2020 presidential election as closely as the pandemic. And amid questions over how mail-in ballot counting could impact the timing of results, Americans plan to tune in closely to election night returns. Overall, three-quarters of U.S. adults say they are paying “very” or “fairly” close attention to news about the 2020 presidential candidates. That is up from 66% just a month ago. Most Americans feel worn out by the volume of election coverage See more from our American News Pathways project Large shares of voters plan to vote a straight party ticket for president, Senate and House In an era of increasing partisanship, split-ticket voting continues to be rare in U.S. politics. With control of the Senate at stake on Nov. 3, just 4% of registered voters in states with a Senate contest say they will support Donald Trump or Joe Biden and a Senate candidate from the opposing party. The same small share (4%) plan to split their ticket in voting for the House. Most Senate elections reflect states’ presidential votes Decoded: Urban, suburban or rural? Americans’ perceptions of their own community type differ by party Even when they live in similar communities, Democrats are more likely to describe those communities as urban, while Republicans are more likely to describe them as rural. 8 key findings about Catholics and abortion ahead of Senate vote on Amy Coney Barrett Foreign policy experts in the U.S. have much different views about threats to the country than the general public Natural gas viewed more positively than other fossil fuels across 20 global publics 8 facts about Americans and Instagram From our research 82% The share of Americans who have at least some confidence that their main news sources will make the right call about who won the election. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2020 Pew Research Center