Voters concerned about economy broke hard for Trump: Survey

Many voters who listed the economy as one of the most important issues going into the election overwhelmingly supported President-elect Trump at the ballot box, according to a new survey.

The AP VoteCast study, released Wednesday, included more than 120,000 voters whose finances were "falling behind." The demographic, according to the poll, grew around 10 percent from the previous election.

More than half of the voters who said they were "very concerned" about increases in household expenses, such as food and rent cast their ballot for Trump, according to the poll. Those who identified the economy as a top priority also sided with the former president.

Vice President Harris made gains with voters in higher tax brackets, however, including families with an annual income higher than $100,000. Trump picked up support from those in a lower bracket — a group that traditionally does not have college degrees, the survey found.

More than half of voters in the general election reported not having a college degree. Around 60 percent of voters with an income less than $100,000 per year sided with the president-elect.

Inflation proved to be a top priority for voters as those who identified price spikes as the election’s most important issue voted for Trump.

The study also found that nearly half of the voters also agreed with the former president's immigration agenda. More than 4 in 10 said immigrants who are in the country illegally should be deported — up 10 percent from 2020.

The numbers come as Trump, who was declared the winner of the 2024 election early Wednesday, said many times on the campaign trail that he would launch the "largest deportation program" on "day one" if reelected.

The AP VoteCast survey was conducted Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 as polls were closing, in both English and Spanish. More than 120,000 voters participated. The margin of error is 0.4 percentage points.