Pew survey: Economy tops voters’ midterm agenda; Democrats hold early edge
Nearly three in 10 registered voters want congressional candidates to focus on economic issues in the midterms, according to a new Pew survey that also found Democrats lead Republicans by six percentage points on the generic ballot and hold an early advantage in voter engagement.
Economic issues rank as voters’ top priority ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, but neither major party holds a clear advantage on economic policy, according to a Pew Research Center survey released July 23.
The survey — conducted July 6-12 among 3,554 U.S. adults, including 2,779 registered voters — also found that Democrats hold an early lead over Republicans in congressional voting preferences and that Democratic voters appear more engaged with the approaching election.
Economy and affordability lead voter priorities
When Pew asked registered voters in an open-ended question which single issue they most wanted congressional candidates in their districts to discuss, 29% cited an economic issue. Cost of living and affordability accounted for 15% of all responses, followed by the economy generally at 7% and taxes at 4%.
Government ethics and reform ranked second overall, cited by 9% of registered voters. Immigration followed at 7%, health care at 5%, and foreign policy and President Donald Trump at 4% each.
Neither party held a clear advantage on economic policy. Among all adults surveyed, 37% said they agreed more with the Democratic Party, while 36% sided with the Republican Party and 25% agreed with neither.
Democrats lead generic ballot and voter engagement
The poll found that Democrats hold a modest advantage among registered voters on the generic congressional ballot. If the election were held at the time of the survey, 43% said they would vote for or lean toward the Democratic candidate in their district, compared with 37% who favored the Republican candidate. Another 14% remained unsure, while 5% preferred another candidate.
Catholic registered voters were nearly evenly divided: 42% said they supported or leaned toward the Democratic candidate, 39% favored the Republican candidate, 4% preferred another candidate, and 15% remained unsure.
Democratic voters also reported greater engagement with the campaign. Seventy percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said it “really matters” which party controls Congress after the November election, compared with 60% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
Thirty-nine percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners said they had thought “a lot” about the election, compared with 22% of Republicans and Republican leaners. At a similar point in the 2022 midterm campaign, Republicans held modest advantages on both measures, according to Pew.
Parties hold advantages on different issues
The parties remained nearly tied on several policy areas, while roughly a quarter of Americans agreed with neither party in each case. Democrats held a 37% to 36% edge on economic policy and a 36% to 35% edge on foreign policy, while Republicans led 36% to 35% on policies governing the use of military force.
Republicans held their largest advantage on crime policy, with 43% of adults siding with the GOP and 29% with Democrats. Republicans also led on immigration policy, 41% to 36%.
Democrats held 14-point advantages on both health care, 42% to 28%, and environmental and climate policy, 44% to 30%. They also led on abortion policy, 42% to 32%, and education policy, 41% to 32%.
Artificial intelligence (AI) stood out as an issue on which most Americans rejected both parties’ approaches: 51% said they agreed with neither party’s AI policies, while 23% favored Republicans and 22% favored Democrats.
Trump factors heavily into congressional vote
Most registered voters said Trump would factor into their congressional vote. Forty-two percent described their vote as a vote against Trump, while 22% viewed it as a vote for him. Another 35% said Trump was “not much of a factor.”
Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, 81% viewed their congressional vote as a vote against Trump, 1% viewed it as a vote for him, and 18% said he was not much of a factor.
Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 44% described their vote as a vote for Trump and 5% as a vote against him. Half said Trump was not much of a factor.
Trump’s job approval rating stood at 34%, while 64% of Americans disapproved of his performance. According to Pew, his rating has not changed since April. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans approved of Trump’s performance, while 93% of Democrats disapproved.
Americans also expressed deeply unfavorable views of Congress. Twenty-five percent viewed the institution favorably, down from 32% in August 2025, while 72% held an unfavorable opinion. Pew described the current ratings as near record lows.
