The economy, healthcare, and the war in Iran rank highest in importance to U.S. voters ahead of this week’s midterms, according to the latest Gallup poll.

With the election five days away, voter responses reflect pushback against President Donald Trump’s economic platform and foreign policy agenda. Democrats express higher levels of concern than Republicans across most topics surveyed.

Among the 11 issues ranked, half of respondents say the economy and healthcare are extremely important to their vote, while 47% said the same about Iran. The next top issues were the distribution of income and wealth at 44%, gas prices at 42%, immigration at 40% and abortion at 38%.

Roughly a third, or 35%, rated crime and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as extremely important. The construction of artificial intelligence data centers, at 30%, and climate change, at 29%, ranked the lowest.

An Oct. 1-19 Gallup survey asked registered voters whether each issue is extremely important, very important, moderately important or not that important to their vote for Congress this year. Reflecting recent national developments, this marks the first time Gallup included the “situation in Iran” and the “construction of AI data centers” on its midterm issues list.

The Economy Is Important to Voters 

The economy’s spot atop voter concerns follows historical patterns. The 50% who rated it extremely important is nearly identical to the 49% recorded in 2022. While it is well above the 34% recorded in 2018, it remains below the 63% in 2010 as the nation was still recovering from the Great Recession.

The percentage of respondents concerned about wealth distribution, 44%, and gas prices, 42%, reached higher levels of importance than in previous midterms.

Other priorities held steady. Healthcare hit its 2010 peak at 50%. Immigration has remained virtually unchanged, holding at 40% in every midterm since 2018, while climate change registered at 29%.

Partisan Divide 

Democratic voters are more likely than Republicans to rate issues as extremely important to their vote.

Sixty-eight percent of Democrats prioritized healthcare, while 65% named distribution of income and wealth. At least half of Democrats labeled the economy, the situation in Iran, gas prices, climate change and abortion as extremely important.

By contrast, none of the 11 issues is rated as extremely important by a majority of Republicans. Crime was one of the issues where Republicans showed greater concern than Democrats, 43% to 32%. Republicans, at 44%, were also slightly more likely than Democrats, at 41%, to believe immigration is extremely important – though likely for different reasons.

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Among independent voters, the highest concerns were the economy at 51%, healthcare at 48% and Iran at 46%.

Which party occupies the White House can often influence voter priorities. Under Trump, Republican urgency on the economy, immigration and crime has eased, while Democrats’ concern has intensified.

Dissatisfaction With Government 

When asked to name the most important problem facing the country, respondents pointed to the government. Democrats were the most critical, with 36% identifying government as a top issue, compared with 22% each of Republicans and independents.

Americans named as their top concerns inflation at 17%, the economy in general at 15%, fuel prices at 7%, and income inequality at 2%. The issue is bipartisan – about 39% of Democrats, 39% of independents and 36% of Republicans named at least one economic issue.

The survey of 1,200 adults ages 18 and older from all 50 states and the District of Columbia had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.