According to a recent AP-NORC poll, respondents roughly even in agreeing on whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump would better address the state of the economy. Given 50% of respondents characterize the U.S. economy as either bad or fairly poor, the topic of economic management is crucial in the presidential contest. This is an improvement from October 2023, when about 70% of Americans saw the state of the economy unfavorably.
When dissecting certain economic issues, Harris performs rather better than Trump in terms of middle-class tax management and housing affordability. On the subject of tariffs—which the poll characterized as taxes on imported goods—Trump is seen more favorably. Voters still divide equally on important issues such jobs and unemployment as well as the cost of daily items ( food, gas).
Neither candidates have a clear edge, hence as the election approaches the economy becomes a major and divisive topic for voters. Given the close polling on economic concerns, this will probably be the main focus of the next months' campaign.
