During the 2024 presidential election campaign, YouGov asked registered voters their views on eight topics, including social issues — the social issues that matter most to them, the policies they support, and the candidates they trust.
Among our findings:
- Harris' supporters are far more likely than Trump's to emphasize social issues — both overall and, in particular, abortion and birth control access.
- Of the social issues included in the survey, Trump's supporters are most likely to prioritize family and medical leave, as well as child welfare services and child care support.
- Throughout the election, Harris consistently has held a strong advantage over Trump for the handling of abortion and LGBTQ issues. She also is more likely than Trump to be trusted to handle birth control access, maternal health care, transgender health care, gender inequality, and infertility treatment, among other social issues.
- Most voters approve of Harris' social policies. Majorities of both her and Trump's supporters favor increased support for domestic violence victims, expanded access to birth control, and national paid family leave. Voters are more likely to support her plan to restore abortion rights to what they were under Roe v. Wade than they are to support eliminating the filibuster to restore a national right to abortion.
- Trump's social policies are highly polarizing, especially those involving transgender issues. Fewer than half of voters support proposals to allow states to determine abortion laws or to ban the abortion pill. His backing of insurance-funded IVF is popular — and more so among Harris' supporters than among his own.
- Many voters are aware that Harris' stances on social issues are hers — including her support for abortion rights. Trump is correctly identified by large majorities for his support for state-determined abortion policy and his restrictive positions on transgender rights. Fewer than one-quarter of voters know that Trump has backed requiring insurance to cover IVF, and many of his supporters are not aware that he has suggested withdrawing federal approval of the abortion pill.
Which social 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 social 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 social issues?
Since Harris entered the presidential race against Trump, we've tracked who voters trust more to handle various issues, including abortion and LGBTQ issues.
In our latest survey, we asked voters to tell us which of 10 social issues they trust Harris and Trump to handle.
Which social policies do voters support?
We asked voters whether they support or oppose selected social policies 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 social policy agendas?
After providing their opinions on various social policy 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 social issues
- Views of 40 social movements reveal groups supported most by Americans
- Most Americans would limit abortion after a certain stage of pregnancy and allow certain exceptions
- More Americans support than oppose a 16-week abortion ban
- Americans lack consensus on ideal abortion laws
- How many Americans support LGBTQ+ representation in classrooms and the media?
- What Americans think about the rights of LGBTQ+ people and discrimination against them
- Laws legalizing abortion and same-sex marriage nationwide are more popular than nationwide bans
- Too many babies? Too few? What Americans think about the birth rate
- Most Democrats say they’d vote for or against a candidate based solely on the candidate's abortion views
- Most Americans support family-friendly policies, including paid leave and child care subsidies
- More Americans support a national right to abortion than a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy
- Where Americans stand on 20 transgender policy issues
- Older Democrats are more likely than younger Democrats to want more acceptance of sexual minorities
- Half of Americans support including protections for abortion in their state’s constitution
- Many policies aimed at expanding abortion access are popular among most Americans
- What measures do opponents of abortion legality support to address unwanted pregnancies?
- Views on abortion vary widely based on which social groups Americans belong to
- How much do Americans know about abortion in the U.S.?
- What do Americans know about abortion access and safety?
- One in four Americans say they’ve changed their minds on abortion
- Who do Americans think should be allowed to attend drag shows?
- Which childhood body modification procedures do Americans think are unacceptable?
- How Americans feel about recent debates over transgender children and schools
- How do Americans feel about recent proposals to limit classroom discussion on gender and sexuality?
- On issues relating to transgender youth, Democrats and Republicans are far apart
Curious where voters stand on other issues? Click the links below to learn more.
- Overview of all issues
- Economy
- Health care
- Immigration
- Crime
- 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 September 30 - October 2, 2024 among 1,134 U.S. adult citizens, including 996 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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