Voters say economy is most important key issue ahead of election: poll

A majority of registered voters say the economy has become the most important issue ahead of the 2020 presidential election and may potentially affect their choice for president, according to a new Gallup poll.

Nine in 10 voters said the state of the economy is their top issue, including 44% who say the economy is "extremely important" and 45% who say it is "very" important.

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The economy has proven to be a sticking point for voters in the past, according to Gallup.

In each presidential election year since 1996, between 85% and 95% of registered voters rated the economy as extremely or very important. Gallup noted that this was especially the case in 2008 when the nation was facing a Great Recession. At the time, over 50% of voters said the economy was of the highest importance to their vote, according to Gallup.

Ahead of the 2020 election, at least three-quarters of voters said that terrorism and national security (83%), education (82%), health care (80%), crime (79%), the response to the coronavirus (77%), and race relations (76%) are all issues that are of the utmost importance to them.

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Meanwhile, the majorities of voters say eight of the nine remaining issues are extremely or very important. These include foreign affairs (74%), gun policy (68%), immigration (65%), the federal budget deficit (65%), relations with China (64%), abortion (61%), taxes (61%), and climate change (55%).

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Gallup noted that the coronavirus and its impact on the economy are evident in the latest findings. The proportion of voters that believe the economy is an extremely important factor rose from 30% to 45% between December and September.

Meanwhile, the proportion of voters who say race relations is of extreme importance rose from 23% in December to 40% now. During this period, ongoing protests over police brutality and racial injustice have taken place across the nation.

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The poll was conducted Sept. 14-28 and based on responses from 905 adults in all 50 states. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.