US election 2020: What are the big issues?

The result of the US presidential election is still unknown, but data collected from across the country can give us a glimpse into the big issues people voted for.

Exit poll data suggests the three biggest issues which mattered the most in deciding how people voted were the economy, racial inequality and the coronavirus pandemic.

More than four times as many Trump voters said the economy was the deciding factor, while racial inequality and the virus were the top issue for Biden voters.

But what does this all mean? We've got it covered below.

What is an exit poll?

A record breaking number of people voted via the post

The exit polls are carried out across the US and are a combination of election day interviews - where people will be asked who they voted for - and telephone polling, designed to reach early postal voters.

They aren't 100 per cent accurate, but are used to give a good indication of how people voted.

Economy

Nationally, 35% of voters said the economy was the most important issue in deciding who to choose as president.

Voters were evenly split on how they felt the US economy was doing, with 48% saying it was in "excellent or good" condition and 50% saying it was "not so good or poor".

Supporters of Trump felt his record supporting businesses, jobs and the economy could be a deciding factor in him winning another term in the White House.

When Trump was elected in 2016, he said he would 'make America great again'. During his time as president he has kept promises such as creating jobs, building factories and cutting taxes.

President Trump says the US economy is on the road to recovery under his leadership

In January the president said: "Our economy is booming, wages are soaring, workers are thriving and America's future has never, ever looked brighter."

But just weeks later the country and the economy was plunged into a crisis, businesses closed, jobs were lost, and states and cities went into lockdown, all because of the coronavirus.

Millions of Americans are out of work with calls for more government support for the unemployed.

President Trump says the US is bouncing back thanks to coronavirus restrictions being lifted in some states, a policy that he has supported as president.

"I'm not going to shut down the economy, I'm not going to shut down the country, but I am going to shut down the virus," Joe Biden said.

Joe Biden has refused to rule out further lockdowns if he becomes president, but has criticised Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic.

While campaigning in Florida, the former vice-president said Trump's failure to properly deal with coronavirus has made the United States' economic pain worse and left millions of people unemployed.

He also criticised Mr Trump for being unable to provide more government money to struggling households and businesses.

Racial inequality

20% of Americans named racial inequality as the issue that mattered most to them when voting.

For many, the events of this year involving the death of an unarmed black man named George Floyd, have proved that black people in the US are still treated unfairly and the country still has a real problem with racism.

George Floyd's death resulted in thousands of people protesting in cities across America.

Dr Clodagh Harrington is an American politics expert. She says Joe Biden and Donald Trump have taken a completely different approach on the issue.

"Both candidates have a strong message, but are speaking a different language," she said.

"Following the protests, Trump had the message of law and order, while Biden has talked about changing the way the police behave."

As the election is close, black voters could help tip the balance in some key battleground states, where a win for either candidate could decide the outcome of this year's election.

In 2016, many black voters decided not to vote at all, this time around both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are hoping to win them over.

The coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has made this race for the White House different to any other.

17% of voters said the coronavirus pandemic was the biggest factor in deciding who to vote for.

The country is pretty evenly divided on how they think the pandemic has been handled.

50% said that the US was doing "somewhat or very badly" at containing the pandemic and 48% thought the country was doing "somewhat or very well".

Donald and Melania Trump attends a rally in Florida in October 2020

Earlier in the year, the president said he had tried "to avoid panic" and "perhaps" downplayed the seriousness of the virus.

When the president became ill with coronavirus his relaxed attitude to mask wearing became a real talking point in this election.

Mr Biden - who has not ruled out further lockdowns - pledged instead to "let science drive our decisions".

The two presidential rivals' differences over the pandemic could be a big deciding factor when it comes to American adults picking a side they want to vote for.