AARP Hearing Center
A new poll of voters from the 43 most competitive congressional districts, conducted just after the election, shows older voters were pivotal in the outcome of the 2024 election, and that their voting decisions were largely driven by economic issues, immigration, and threats to democracy. The survey found President-elect Donald Trump won the 50-plus vote in these close congressional districts by two percentage points.
Other key takeaways from the poll among voters ages 50 and older include:
- Economic issues — jobs, inflation, and Social Security — stood out as major motivating factors for 50-plus Hispanic and Black voters. A majority (55%) of older voters said that Social Security is or will be a major source of their income, and 80% said it was an extremely or very important issue in determining their vote.
- 31% of older voters self-identified as a family caregiver. These voters narrowly preferred Kamala Harris and their Democratic candidate for Congress.
Methodology
AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Targeted Congressional Districts across the country as defined by the Cook Political Report. The firms interviewed 2,348 likely voters, which included a core representative sample of 1,200 likely voters and an oversample of 540 likely voters age 50-plus up to 1,200 total likely voters 50-plus older, both of which had a roughly equal number of interviews (27, 29) conducted in each district. There was also an additional oversample of 268 Hispanic likely voters age 50-plus, and an additional oversample of 340 Black likely voters age 50-plus. The survey was conducted between November 6 and 10, 2024 via live interviewer on landline (20%) and cellphone (41%), as well as SMS-to-web (39%). The sample was randomly drawn from the voter list. Interviews were offered in English and Spanish.
For more information, contact Kate Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations media@aarp.org.ontact Kate Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.