According to the preliminary results of the NBC News Exit Poll, the main issues on the minds of voters in the 2024 presidential election were the state of democracy and the economy in the United States.
35 percent of voters said democracy was most important to their vote, and 31 percent said the economy was important. Abortion (14%) and immigration (11%) ranked as the next most important issues, with only 4% citing foreign policy.
Both men and women said the state of democracy was their most important issue, followed by the economy. Two in 10 women said abortion was most important, compared to 8% of men. Immigration was slightly higher among men (12%) than among women (10%). Foreign policy remained a priority for both groups.
Exit poll results can change overnight as more interviews are conducted and more votes are counted.
The issue’s priorities reflected deep concerns among voters. About 3 in 4 voters think democracy is under threat in the United States today, while only a quarter say democracy is safe. About 2 out of every 3 voters said that the country’s economy is either good or bad, and only a third of voters rated the economic situation as excellent or good.
All told, the mood in the country is pessimistic: nearly three-quarters of voters nationwide have a negative view of the way things are going in the country, with 43% dissatisfied and 29% angry.
Nearly half (45%) of voters said they were worse off than they were four years ago. That’s a higher level of dissatisfaction than in any presidential election since 2008, when 42% of voters said they were worse off after that year’s financial crisis. Only one in four voters say they are better off now than they were four years ago.
Preliminary exit poll results also show that voters who support Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have different priorities on issues.
The majority of Harris voters preferred the state of democracy. Abortion was the second most important issue to Harris voters, with 2 in 10 saying it was most important to their vote, followed by the economy, foreign policy and immigration.
Half of Trump voters said the economy was the most important issue for them to vote for, followed by immigration (20%), democracy (12%), abortion (6%) and foreign policy (4%).
Nationally, three in 10 voters say leadership is the most important candidate quality in determining how they vote for the president. About a quarter said they would prefer someone who can bring about needed change, followed by a candidate with good judgment (21%) and someone who cares about people like them (19%).
The initial exit poll also found that only 41% of voters approve of President Joe Biden’s job performance, while 59% disapprove. That’s well below Trump’s job approval rating (50%) when he lost his bid for re-election in 2020, underscoring the need for voters to see Harris differently from Biden.
Breaking down voters by race, Trump’s approval rating has fallen among white voters compared to four years ago, but has risen among black and Latino voters. 49 percent of white voters approve of Trump, up from 57 percent in 2020.