A Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 47% of registered U.S. voters put candidates’ positions on living costs first, making household expenses a central issue before the Nov. 3 congressional elections.
In the Oct. 16-19 poll, voters chose which candidate stance from a list of issues would carry the most weight in their congressional vote. Living costs led the responses.
Trump’s handling of living costs drew disapproval from 73% of adults. His handling of the wider U.S. economy drew disapproval from 68%. Among respondents who identified as Republicans, 37% disapproved of his handling of the economy.
Looking ahead a month, 83% of adults anticipated higher gasoline prices. The answer reflected an expectation at the time of the survey, rather than a recorded change in prices.
President Donald Trump’s overall job approval stood at 31% among adults, while 66% disapproved. Reuters reported that the approval figure was the lowest in its Trump polling across his two terms.
In the initial congressional ballot question covered earlier by EconoTimes, Democratic candidates drew 47% of registered voters against 35% for Republicans. After a further question to undecided voters, the parties stood at 51% and 40%, respectively. Those ballot figures cover registered voters, a narrower group than the adult sample used for the job approval and economic ratings.
Ipsos questioned 1,679 adults through its online, probability-based KnowledgePanel; 1,279 were registered voters. It reported sampling margins of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for adults and 2.8 points for registered voters, at a 95% confidence level.
The national results show party preferences, while seat totals depend on races in individual states and districts. The poll does not establish which party will control either chamber. On Nov. 3, voters are scheduled to fill all 435 House seats and roughly a third of the Senate.
