The Cost-of-Living Election?

The brief

In a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted August 28–31, 47% of registered voters named cost of living as the single most important factor in their midterm vote. Among U.S. adults, 71% disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the issue and 22% approved. Those figures describe different survey populations. [1]

What the poll measures

Ipsos surveyed 1,167 adults through its probability-based KnowledgePanel in English. The full adult sample has a margin of sampling error of ±2.9 percentage points; subgroup margins are larger. Do not apply that full-sample margin to the registered-voter finding. [1]

What it does not predict

Issue importance and presidential approval are not a count of congressional votes. A person can prioritize living costs while disagreeing with another voter about the remedy. National findings also cannot determine which party wins a particular district.

Our next question

Daymark’s analysis: compare the specific cost proposals candidates offer, what they could enact from the office they seek, and how their claims stand up to evidence. The important follow-up is whether people believe those proposals will improve their own circumstances.

Sources & update record

1. Ipsos · Reuters/Ipsos survey, August 28–31, 2026

September 7, 2026 — Published this sourced summary. Dates within the story identify the underlying report or event. No original interviews were conducted for this edition.