Key Takeaways
- Affordability leads the vote: 47 percent of Americans choose cost of living / inflation as one of the three issues most likely to influence their vote, comfortably ahead of healthcare (30%) and jobs and the economy (24%).
- The squeeze is personal: 56 percent say they are “greatly affected” by the increased cost of living.
- Fairness is the deeper issue: 56 percent believe the benefits and burdens of recent economic development have been shared unfairly, up from 45 percent in 2020, and 82 percent agree that income differences between rich and poor are too large.
Americans Are Worried About Affordability, and Many Question Whether the Economy Is Fair
Affordability is shaping the run-up to the US midterms, but the numbers point to something deeper than prices alone. New data from the GlobeScan Business & Society Radar survey of 1,507 Americans shows that cost of living is the issue most likely to influence how people vote, and that a majority also feel the benefits and burdens of the economy have not been shared fairly.
Forty-seven percent choose cost of living / inflation as one of the three issues most likely to influence their vote, comfortably ahead of healthcare (30%) and jobs and the economy (24%). The pressure is personal, as 56 percent say they are “greatly affected” by the increased cost of living, and another 29 percent say they are moderately affected. At the same time, 56 percent believe the benefits and burdens of recent economic development have been shared unfairly, up from 45 percent in 2020, and 82 percent agree that income differences between rich and poor are too large.
Concern about prices is bipartisan: cost of living is the top voting issue for Republicans (44%), Democrats (48%) and independents (50%). However, views on fairness are less aligned. Sixty percent of Democrats and 63 percent of independents say benefits and burdens have been shared unfairly, compared with 40 percent of Republicans, although the view that income gaps are too large is widely held across all three groups (78%, 83%, and 84%, respectively). Age matters too: Gen X (72%) and Baby Boomers and older (67%) are far more likely than Millennials (41%) and Gen Z (40%) to see the economy as unfair, and 59 percent of Baby Boomers and older name cost of living as a top voting issue versus 37 percent of Gen Z and Millennials, although it is the top issue chosen by all generations. Regional differences are modest compared to differences between generations or party affiliation.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Affordability may be dominating the US midterms, but the underlying challenge goes beyond bringing prices down. When people feel both financially squeezed and unconvinced that economic gains are being shared fairly, expectations grow for government and business to demonstrate who benefits from economic decisions and who bears the costs. Addressing affordability therefore means not only easing pressure on household budgets, but also showing that economic progress is delivering tangible benefits more broadly.
How This Insight Was Generated
This analysis draws on the GlobeScan Business & Society Radar survey of 1,507 Americans in the general public, conducted from July 7th to 28th, 2026. The question on income differences was asked of a subsample of 951 respondents.
Survey Question
If a national election was being held today in your country, which of the following issues would most influence how you choose to vote? (Total mentions)
How much are you personally affected by each of the following? – Increased cost of living
Thinking about the economic developments of the last few years, how fairly do you think the benefits and burdens have been shared in your country?
For each of the following statements, please indicate if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree. – Income differences between rich and poor in my country are too large
