- Bearing Drift - https://bearingdrift.com -

Poll: Women Voters Over 50 Could Decide Balance of Power in Next Election

The headline read, “Women voters 50 and over will decide balance of power in next election.” Women 50 and over – that’s me! When I heard this poll, my ears perked up because it covered issues that interest me in today’s political climate – keeping in mind, of course, that I take polls with a grain of salt because many are unreliable these days. However, this provided an extremely interesting look because of the information it uncovered.

Okay, don’t laugh, but it’s an AARP [1] poll that partnered with pollsters Celinda Lake, Christine Matthews, Kristen Soltis Anderson, and Margie Omero to discover what makes a difference to this age group of women. (AARP is the American Association of Retired Persons that focuses on issues affecting the over 50 crowd.)

The survey highlighted that women voters 50+ are concerned about political division in the country:

-67% (2-to-1) want politicians willing to work together to get things done, even if the result is an occasional compromise (breaks down to 77% Democratic women and 57% Republican women)

-30% want politicians who consistently fight for their values but doesn’t often find a solution (breaks down to 21% Democratic women and 40% Republican women)

So what else did the poll tell us?

The most surprising revelation was that only 17 percent of women voters 50+ have made up their minds who to vote for and, when asked when they would make that decision, responded:

-8% on election day

-21% several days before

-36% several weeks before

-19% several months before

-17% have already decided

Rising cost of living dominates the concerns of women 50 and over … when thinking about the economy, which of the following is most important to you personally:

-59% rising prices

-11% government spending

-11% wages and income

-9% stock market

-6% taxes

Majority of 50+ women voters say economy is not working well for them, a change from 2018:

2022 – 48% economy working well for them personally

2018 – 57% economy working well for them personally

Some other revelations from the poll:

-Women 50+ do not solidly belong to either party’s camp.

-Women 50+ are one of the largest, most reliable groups of voters.

-Women 50+ make up 27% of registered voters

-Women 50+ cast 30% of all ballots in both 2018 and 2020 elections

-In 2020, 83% of women 50+ voted

-In 2018, women 50+ were more likely to vote than the population at large

An interesting note: Women ages 50-64 are intensely worried about saving for retirement and their financial future – with 51 percent saying they are very concerned about Social Security being there for their retirement and 30 percent saying they are most concerned about having saved enough for retirement. That has been a concern of our generation for as long as I remember.

Women voters 50+ are divided evenly by party (44% R – 45% D) in sharp contrast to their male counterparts who are solidly Republican (51% R – 38% D).

It’s good to see this age group of women grabbing attention with this poll, and from TV newscaster and journalist Mika Brzezinski who has partnered with Forbes [2] for her 50 Over 50 group that spotlights the achievements of women in the second half of their lives.

Bottom line: The direction these women choose could very likely decide the balance of power in Congress and statehouses around the country. That’s a powerful reason to vote in November.

***

Survey methodology: The AARP national survey was conducted by phone and online from February 18 to March 3, 2022, using NORC’s Foresight 50+ Panel, supplemented with interviews from non-probability panels. The final poll included 1,836 voters age 50 and over who are likely to vote in 2022, with samples of Black voters, Hispanic/Latino voters, Asian American/Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters as well as American Indian/Alaska Native voters.  The survey results represent a sample of 984 women voters age 50 and over. Study margin of error: +/- 3.29%.