From the 2026 National Study

The Economy and Cost of Living

Image, Ballot, and Message Testing
September 28th, 2026

Inflation Policies

Biden/Democrat

47%

Trump/Republican

44%

Unsure

Full Question:

Which policies do you believe are more effective at keeping inflation from getting out of control and managing the economy?

Biden Administration/Democrat policies
Trump Administration/Republican policies
Unsure

	Biden/Democrat	Trump/Republican	Unsure
Republican	2	90	8
Democrat	88	6	6
Ind/Other	56	25	19
Female	50	41	10
Male	43	48	9
18-34	69	16	15
35-44	51	39	10
45-54	46	43	11
55-64	38	54	8
65+	43	49	8
Conservative	9	83	8
Moderate	64	21	15
Liberal	88	6	6
White	43	47	10
Hispanic	43	47	10
Black	73	22	6
Other Race	57	32	10
HS	40	52	7
Some College	44	45	11
College	52	38	10
Grad+	60	29	10
4 of 4	46	46	8
3 of 4	40	52	8
2 of 4	41	41	18
1 of 4	47	41	12
0 of 4	59	32	9
South	46	47	7
West	48	41	11
Midwest	48	41	11
Northeast	45	45	10
Suburban	47	44	10
Urban	53	38	8
Rural	40	50	10

Cost of Living Policies

Biden/Democrat

48%

Trump/Republican

42%

Unsure

10%

Full Question:

Which policies do you believe are more effective at improving the cost of living?

Biden Administration/Democrat policies
Trump Administration/Republican policies
Unsure

	Biden/Democrat	Trump/Republican	Unsure
Republican	1	90	9
Democrat	91	3	6
Ind/Other	55	24	22
Female	50	40	10
Male	45	45	10
18-34	65	15	19
35-44	54	32	13
45-54	46	44	11
55-64	39	52	8
65+	46	47	7
Conservative	9	83	8
Moderate	66	19	15
Liberal	90	3	7
White	45	46	10
Hispanic	43	40	16
Black	75	19	6
Other Race	52	34	13
HS	41	49	11
Some College	44	45	10
College	53	37	10
Grad+	63	28	10
4 of 4	48	43	9
3 of 4	37	52	11
2 of 4	41	42	17
1 of 4	50	35	16
0 of 4	60	32	8
South	46	45	9
West	49	38	13
Midwest	51	41	8
Northeast	47	43	10
Suburban	47	42	11
Urban	53	36	11
Rural	44	49	8

Economic Preference

Biden/Democrat

50%

Trump/Republican

45%

Unsure

Full Question:

Would you rather have President Trump and congressional Republicans' economic policies, or Democrat and Biden-era economic policies?

Democrats and Biden-era policies
President Trump and congressional Republican policies
Unsure

	Biden/Democrat	Trump/Republican	Unsure
Republican	1	96	3
Democrat	94	3	3
Ind/Other	59	26	16
Female	53	42	6
Male	46	48	6
18-34	72	16	12
35-44	59	34	7
45-54	45	48	7
55-64	41	55	5
65+	47	50	3
Conservative	9	87	4
Moderate	69	21	10
Liberal	94	3	3
White	45	49	5
Hispanic	53	40	7
Black	78	16	7
Other Race	59	37	4
HS	44	50	6
Some College	45	49	6
College	55	40	5
Grad+	64	30	6
4 of 4	50	46	4
3 of 4	38	54	8
2 of 4	43	47	10
1 of 4	58	37	5
0 of 4	60	34	5
South	49	47	4
West	50	42	7
Midwest	51	43	6
Northeast	49	45	6
Suburban	50	44	6
Urban	57	38	5
Rural	43	52	5

Economic Priority

Lower Taxes

54%

Increase Taxes

38%

Other/Unsure

Full Question:

When thinking about ways to grow the economy and reduce the national debt, which of the following do you believe should be the top priority?

Lowering taxes so people keep more of their own money, and reducing regulations to grow the economy and create jobs.
Increasing taxes on the rich and providing more government-subsidized services and benefits.
Other or unsure

	Lower Taxes	Increase Taxes	Other/Unsure
Republican	91	3	6
Democrat	23	69	8
Ind/Other	43	45	12
Female	52	40	8
Male	57	35	8
18-34	34	58	8
35-44	43	51	6
45-54	55	36	9
55-64	62	30	8
65+	60	32	8
Conservative	88	6	6
Moderate	43	43	14
Liberal	12	85	4
White	55	37	8
Hispanic	55	38	7
Black	44	43	12
Other Race	58	35	7
HS	61	33	6
Some College	59	33	9
College	48	44	8
Grad+	40	50	10
4 of 4	54	39	7
3 of 4	63	28	9
2 of 4	57	34	10
1 of 4	47	49	4
0 of 4	50	41	9
South	58	36	6
West	52	39	9
Midwest	49	42	9
Northeast	55	36	9
Suburban	55	38	7
Urban	50	42	8
Rural	59	33	8

Top Issues

Voter ID

28%

Border

25%

Rich Pay Tax

24%

Gov't B Fraud

23%

Inflation

23%

WH Corruption

22%

Medicare for All

21%

Law Order

19%

Taxes/Spending

19%

Ending Iran War

18%

Ending Tariffs

17%

Voting Rights

15%

Agents in Cities

15%

Free Speech

15%

Abortion Rights

14%

Housing

14%

2A Rights

14%

Climate Change

13%

Limit Deportation

13%

Price Gouging

13%

Nuclear Iran

13%

Drain Swamp

12%

Protect Unborn

11%

Gender Ideology

11%

Gun Violence

10%

Eliminating DEI

10%

American Energy

10%

Misinformation

Combat Racism

LGBTQ Rights

Healthcare Costs

Utilizing Tariffs

Protect Immigr.

Less Regulation

Full Question:

Which of the following do you consider the most important issues facing the country? Select up to FIVE

Requiring Voter ID, Proof of Citizenship, and Cleaning Up Voter Rolls
Securing the Border and Deporting Illegal Immigrants
Ensuring the Rich Pay Their Fair Share of Taxes
Cracking Down on Fraud and Abuse of Government Benefit Programs
Reducing Inflation to Lower Food and Energy Costs
Stopping Self-Dealing and Corruption in the White House
Making Healthcare a Right with Medicare for All
Supporting Law Enforcement and Restoring Law and Order in Our Cities
Cutting Taxes and Wasteful Spending
Ending the Iran War That Sent Gas Prices Skyrocketing
Ending Tariffs That Raise Prices on American Families
Stopping Voter Suppression and Protecting Voting Rights of Underserved Communities
Stopping the Military Occupation and Masked Federal Agents in Our Cities
Protecting Free Speech from Government & Big Tech Censorship
Guaranteeing Women's Reproductive Freedom
Making Housing Affordable and Taking On Corporate Landlords
Protecting Second Amendment Rights
Fighting Climate Change and Expanding Clean, Affordable Energy
Stopping Mass Deportations and Protecting Due Process
Regulating Large Companies to Prevent Price Gouging and Massive Profits
Preventing Iran from getting Nuclear weapons and bringing peace to the Middle East
Draining the Swamp and Rooting Out the Deep State
Protecting the Lives of Unborn Children
Protecting Women's Sports and Stopping Gender Ideology in Schools
Reducing Gun Violence and Getting Weapons Off Our Streets
Eliminating DEI and Race-Based Programs in Government and Schools
Unleashing American Energy Production to Lower Electric Bills
Limiting Misinformation and Disinformation
Combating Racism and Defending Diversity and Inclusion
Protecting the Rights and Safety of LGBTQ Americans
Lowering Healthcare Costs Through More Choice and Competition
Using Tariffs to Bring Manufacturing Jobs Back to America
Stopping Attacks on Benefits for Immigrant and Underserved Communities
Cutting Red Tape and Regulations to Build More Homes

Top Issues Cont.

	HS	Some College	College	Grad+	4 of 4	3 of 4	2 of 4	1 of 4	0 of 4	South	West	Midwest	Northeast	Suburban	Urban	Rural
Voter ID	30	30	26	20	29	35	19	22	22	30	25	26	27	28	20	35
Border	28	26	24	17	25	32	27	20	19	25	26	24	23	25	24	27
Rich Pay Tax	24	21	24	26	23	24	21	32	24	20	25	25	30	24	23	24
Gov't B Fraud	25	27	20	17	25	21	26	21	18	25	23	20	23	24	19	26
Inflation	21	24	24	26	21	23	31	33	22	25	25	19	22	24	21	24
WH Corruption	19	22	23	26	22	21	22	25	20	21	21	25	22	22	22	21
Medicare for All	18	19	26	26	20	14	22	30	27	19	23	25	19	20	24	21
Law Order	22	20	17	14	21	23	21	15	13	20	21	17	18	20	20	18
Taxes/Spending	18	22	18	16	16	24	28	18	18	20	18	19	18	18	17	22
Ending Iran War	21	16	16	18	21	14	21	17	13	16	19	21	19	19	20	15
Ending Tariffs	16	18	17	19	18	16	16	18	15	17	16	20	16	15	20	17
Voting Rights	11	17	16	21	18	10	16	10	13	18	12	15	14	14	18	14
Agents in Cities	11	14	17	22	16	11	9	28	14	13	17	14	18	16	15	14
Free Speech	15	12	16	16	15	14	16	11	15	14	14	16	16	16	16	12
Abortion Rights	9	13	18	23	15	14	11	14	14	14	11	17	16	15	15	12
Housing	15	15	12	10	11	19	14	23	15	9	20	14	15	12	18	11
2A Rights	18	14	10	9	13	15	15	13	13	17	15	10	8	14	10	17
Climate Change	10	12	15	22	12	10	11	11	24	12	13	14	15	14	16	11
Limit Deportation	11	11	15	19	14	9	13	10	15	11	12	18	14	10	18	12
Price Gouging	12	13	14	13	12	10	11	12	20	13	11	12	16	12	13	14
Nuclear Iran	12	16	13	10	15	10	15	9	11	15	15	9	10	14	12	13
Drain Swamp	15	13	9	6	12	15	13	7	9	11	11	13	14	12	8	15
Protect Unborn	14	11	9	6	12	15	9	6	8	13	7	15	8	11	8	14
Gender Ideology	11	13	11	8	10	15	10	9	11	10	12	12	11	11	9	14
Gun Violence	9	7	12	15	11	7	8	15	12	11	9	9	11	10	13	7
Eliminating DEI	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	5	8	10	12	9	9	10	8	14
American Energy	13	8	9	7	10	13	11	4	8	9	6	10	16	10	7	12
Misinformation	7	9	10	10	8	9	7	15	10	8	10	9	8	8	10	8
Combat Racism	6	10	9	11	9	5	5	7	11	10	8	7	7	8	11	6
LGBTQ Rights	8	7	6	7	6	6	6	5	14	7	6	9	6	8	7	6
Healthcare Costs	7	5	8	7	8	6	5	8	6	8	7	4	6	7	6	7
Utilizing Tariffs	9	7	5	3	7	10	9	5	2	7	7	5	7	6	7	7
Protect Immigr.	6	4	4	5	3	4	3	2	13	5	5	7	3	6	5	3
Less Regulation	4	3	4	4	3	4	5	2	7	3	5	4	3	2	5	4

Top Issues Cont.

	Republican	Democrat	Ind/Other	Female	Male	18-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Conservative	Moderate	Liberal	White	Hispanic	Black	Other Race
Voter ID	58	2	18	27	28	10	20	28	35	31	54	14	1	31	17	11	24
Border	53	2	15	25	25	12	16	24	35	27	48	13	2	28	19	10	20
Rich Pay Tax	4	40	29	27	20	31	32	20	23	21	7	30	42	24	21	24	28
Gov't B Fraud	43	6	17	22	25	7	19	21	26	28	39	17	4	24	22	20	24
Inflation	21	23	27	24	22	26	32	24	28	17	23	24	22	21	41	21	21
WH Corruption	6	32	32	22	21	21	21	19	22	23	7	34	32	23	20	17	14
Medicare for All	3	38	24	21	22	36	28	21	19	16	5	26	44	19	36	30	18
Law Order	35	6	15	19	19	9	12	12	24	25	32	16	3	21	15	12	17
Taxes/Spending	30	8	19	17	21	11	16	21	24	19	29	16	5	20	20	10	21
Ending Iran War	9	25	23	18	19	19	17	17	16	20	11	25	22	19	20	17	13
Ending Tariffs	3	29	22	17	17	14	22	16	13	19	7	26	23	16	18	30	12
Voting Rights	3	28	14	16	15	16	17	16	13	15	6	18	28	14	14	31	8
Agents in Cities	1	27	19	16	14	13	18	13	11	17	1	21	30	15	20	10	10
Free Speech	10	18	17	15	14	16	16	12	14	15	11	17	16	15	11	19	14
Abortion Rights	1	27	15	20	7	20	15	17	13	11	2	17	31	16	9	9	6
Housing	9	17	16	14	14	21	19	17	12	9	9	16	18	12	12	27	25
2A Rights	25	3	13	11	17	8	11	17	13	15	24	9	2	15	10	8	11
Climate Change	2	25	15	14	12	25	15	12	11	12	2	15	29	14	9	12	18
Limit Deportation	2	25	13	15	11	24	13	12	9	13	3	16	27	13	15	18	9
Price Gouging	8	17	14	13	13	21	21	11	6	12	7	15	20	13	12	10	17
Nuclear Iran	27	2	6	11	15	2	5	13	16	17	24	8	1	14	10	11	13
Drain Swamp	22	2	11	9	15	8	3	13	16	14	22	6	3	13	8	3	11
Protect Unborn	22	2	7	12	10	9	10	12	11	11	21	5	1	11	11	14	4
Gender Ideology	22	1	7	12	10	7	10	10	11	13	21	5	1	12	8	4	12
Gun Violence	4	15	14	12	8	20	9	11	7	9	5	12	18	8	14	15	23
Eliminating DEI	19	3	7	8	13	3	9	17	10	10	19	5	1	10	5	11	14
American Energy	16	4	8	8	12	6	10	12	10	10	15	8	4	10	9	9	7
Misinformation	7	8	13	7	10	9	12	11	9	7	7	11	10	9	6	5	17
Combat Racism	1	15	11	11	6	12	9	9	8	8	2	11	17	7	15	17	8
LGBTQ Rights	1	12	9	7	7	25	10	7	3	4	0	6	20	7	10	6	5
Healthcare Costs	4	9	7	8	5	5	4	7	9	7	5	11	6	6	4	15	9
Utilizing Tariffs	13	2	3	6	7	1	6	6	10	7	12	4	1	6	7	9	4
Protect Immigr.	1	10	5	5	5	12	7	5	4	3	2	5	9	3	8	19	5
Less Regulation	4	3	4	3	5	6	5	2	3	4	5	3	3	4	3	3	6

Methodology & Demographics

Fielded On:: September 27-28, 2026
Method:: Mobile Text Responses
Population & Sample Description:: 2248 Likely General Election Voters
Weighting:: Age, Gender, Race, and Education
MoE:: ±2.04%

Self-Reported Party

Republican	40%
Democrat	39%
Ind/Other	21%

Gender

Female	53%
Male	47%

Age

18-34	11%
35-44	13%
45-54	15%
55-64	20%
65+	41%

Ideology

Conservative	43%
Moderate	31%
Liberal	26%

Race

White	76%
Hispanic	10%
Black	9%
Other Race	5%

Education

HS	36%
Some College	27%
College	22%
Grad+	15%

Last 4 Generals

4 of 4	52%
3 of 4	15%
2 of 4	9%
1 of 4	6%
0 of 4	17%

Region

South	39%
West	23%
Midwest	20%
Northeast	17%

Household Income

<$50k	16%
$50-75k	17%
$75-100k	18%
$100-150k	34%
$150k+	14%

Community Type

Suburban	41%
Urban	30%
Rural	29%

For information, contact:

Ryan Munce

President

co/efficient

ryan@coefficient.org