Exit polls: US voters name democracy and economy as top issues

Democracy and the economy were the most important issues for voters in the US elections this year, early results from exit polls suggest.

More than a third of people identified democracy as their top concern, out of the five options given.

The economy was the next choice, followed by abortion, immigration and foreign policy. This early data could change as it is updated with new information over the course of the night.

The economy has previously ranked top of the list of issues motivating voters in every presidential election since 2008. It remains within the margin of error for being a top issue.

The portrait emerging from the exit poll showed sharp divisions between the two parties when it came to priorities, similar to findings in polls conducted before the election.

Among Harris supporters, about six in 10 said the state of democracy was their deciding issue, compared to just one in ten of those backing Trump.

By comparison, half of Trump supporters identified the economy as the most important issue, compared to just one in ten of those backing Harris.

But both sides conveyed concern about America's democracy, with nearly three quarters of those asked said they felt democracy was “very” or “somewhat” threatened, including similar percentages among both parties.

And about seven in 10 voters in this current data were worried about violence related to the results of the election, including majorities of both Trump and Harris supporters.

The BBC's US broadcast partner CBS says this is the first time in its history – going back to the 1970s – that the exit poll has asked voters about the prospect of violence as it relates specifically to a US presidential election.

Seven in 10 voters were confident that the election was being conducted fairly and accurately.

That sentiment, however, was split on voting lines with Harris supporters much more confident, while Trump supporters were equally divided.

Voters for the two presidential candidates also were divided about how they felt about their financial situation, according to the early exit poll data.

About three quarters of those asked who voted for Donald Trump said they and their families were worse off today than in 2020 and fewer than one in 10 said they were better off.

Among those who said they voted for Kamala Harris, four in 10 said they were doing better.

There was a split in how each candidate’s supporters felt they’d been affected by inflation too.

A third of Donald Trump’s voters in the exit poll data said it had caused them and their families “severe” hardship, compared with about one in 10 of those who voted for Kamala Harris.

Across all voters, two-thirds said the state of the national economy was “not so good” or “poor”, but this was much more likely among Trump voters.