Rural Voters See Worsening Economy but Split on Trump, Poll Finds

About half of rural American voters believe the economy is worse off than when President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 rural registered voters. The poll, conducted over two weeks starting in mid-August, found broadly negative views of both the national and local economies, including among many Republicans.

Groceries, gas and healthcare costs emerged as the top pain points. A larger share of rural voters than of voters overall said they worry about affording food and fuel. About three-quarters rated the cost of living in their communities as only fair or poor — a 25 percentage point increase from a similar question asked in a 2017 survey.

The findings suggest many rural voters have not turned against Trump, but also largely do not believe he has delivered the economic revival he promised. About half approve of his job performance, a higher share than among U.S. adults overall in separate polling. Only about four in ten rural voters approve of his handling of the economy, and they rate him similarly on his handling of the Iran war, which has proved costly and pushed up oil and gas prices.

Rural Republicans hold a brighter economic outlook than rural Democrats or independents, particularly about the country as a whole. About six in ten rural Republican voters say Trump has improved the national economy, compared with about two in ten independents and fewer than one in ten Democrats. But only 45% of rural Republicans say he has made their local economies better off, and about one in four say there are fewer good-paying jobs where they live than five years ago.

Pocketbook concerns and fraud in government programs rank higher among the issues rural voters want politicians to address than perennial topics such as gun policy and abortion. Nine in ten said it was extremely or very important for candidates to talk about healthcare costs.

Views of the administration's healthcare policies are largely negative. Only 17% said those policies have had a positive impact on their healthcare costs, while 41% said they have had no impact and another 41% said the impact has been negative. More than eight in ten rural voters said they had heard little or nothing about a $50 billion rural health program created by the administration's tax breaks and spending cuts law, which also reduces federal Medicaid spending by roughly $900 billion over a decade.

Interviews with voters illustrate the mixed mood. Ed Westrick, a 59-year-old registered Republican and veteran in rural Texas, described Trump's job performance as mediocre and said he is unsure whether he will vote in the midterms. Brittainy Sosebee, a 37-year-old independent in St. Johns, Michigan, said she now scrutinizes every expense and is unsure about voting in her state's tight Senate race. Wanda Rogers, a 66-year-old Republican in Manassas, Georgia, said she believes the administration is doing its best but that gas prices are eating her alive.

When asked which party they trust to handle healthcare and living costs, rural voters tended to side with their own party. The pattern suggests Democratic candidates may benefit more from rural Republicans staying home in November than from winning them over in large numbers.