During the 2024 presidential election campaign, YouGov asked registered voters their views on eight topics, including health care — the health care issues that matter most to them, the policies they support, and the candidates they trust.
Among our findings:
- Health care ranks second only to the economy among eight major issues voters say are very important to them. It ranks first for Harris supporters, but fifth among Trump supporters. 66% of Harris supporters rank it in their top three issues, but only 21% of Trump supporters do, making it the issue that skews most toward Harris supporters.
- Supporters of Harris and Trump do agree, however, about the specific health care issues that matter most to them. Among both groups, the highest share say the cost of health care is among their three most important health care issues. Health insurance and Medicare and Medicaid are the two other health care issues that supporters of each candidate name most often among their top three health care issues. Harris supporters are somewhat more likely than Trump supporters to prioritize mental health care issues, though for both groups the issue ranks fourth within health care.
- Our polling throughout the election cycle shows Harris with a consistent lead over Trump among voters for her handling of health care. She also leads in trust on specific health care issues, including those that voters are most likely to prioritize. More say they trust her than Trump to handle health insurance, health care costs, and mental health care.
- Harris' specific health care policies — including funding for home care services and investigating anti-competitive behavior by pharmaceutical companies — generally are more popular than Trump’s. Her health care policies also are more popular than Trump’s among Trump's own supporters.
- Trump's proposals to fund research into chronic illnesses and to expand Health Savings Accounts also are popular, among both his own and Harris' supporters. Far fewer favor his plans to eliminate the Office of Pandemic Preparedness, or to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
- As for the policies that voters associate with each candidate, many recognize Harris as supporting increased funding for maternal health care and expanding Medicare drug price negotiations. Trump is most closely tied to his least popular health care policies, while fewer than half link him to each of his two most popular plans: to expand Health Savings Accounts and to fund research on chronic illnesses.
Which health care issues do voters care about?
In a series of recent surveys, we asked voters to choose up to three issues that are most important to them out of a list of eight: the economy, health care, immigration, crime, social issues, environment and energy, foreign policy, and education.
To better understand which specific health care issues voters care about, we asked them to select up to three issues from a list of 10 that are most important to them.
Who do voters trust to handle health care?
Since Harris entered the presidential race against Trump, we've tracked who voters trust more to handle various issues, including health care.
In our latest survey, we asked voters to tell us which of 10 health-care-related issues they trust Harris and Trump to handle.
Which health care policies do voters support?
We asked voters whether they support or oppose selected health care proposals that have been backed by Harris, Trump, or their respective parties. It was not revealed to respondents which candidate was connected to which policy. The policies come from the 2024 Democratic and Republican Party platforms, as well as publicly available interviews, speeches, debates, and online posts by the candidates. For more sourcing information, see the details provided here.
How familiar are voters with Harris' and Trump's health care agendas?
After providing their opinions on various health care plans, respondents were asked which candidate they think supports each one, with options of Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, both, or neither. Respondents who selected "both candidates" are included as saying both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Explore Americans' views on policies across all issue areas:
See other polling related to health care
- One-quarter of Americans didn’t call an ambulance during a medical emergency for fear of costs
- What do Americans want in a primary care provider? An honest practitioner who takes their insurance
- Americans' opinions on semaglutide and other weight loss approaches
- One in three Americans say that a doctor has treated them negatively because of their identity
- What do Americans know about life expectancy and health in the U.S.?
- How Americans who’ve had COVID-19 describe their experiences
- Bipartisan majorities support allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices
- Few Americans know about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, but most would be willing to use it
- Most Americans support government negotiation of drug prices
- Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to trust the CDC
- Most Americans have tried marijuana and 60% want it legalized
- Whom do Americans blame for the problem of fentanyl in the U.S.?
- Most Americans blame the opioid epidemic on pharmaceutical companies and illegal drug dealers
- Most Americans say marijuana is safe, can have health benefits, and should be legal
Curious where voters stand on other issues? Click the links below to learn more.
- Overview of all issues
- Economy
- Immigration
- Crime
- Social issues
- Environment and energy
- Foreign policy
- Education
See the full results for these surveys
See the full list of the policies and their sources
Methodology: This poll was conducted online on October 1 - 3, 2024 among 1,145 U.S. adult citizens, including 1,013 registered voters. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample, as well as for registered voters, is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
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