Poll Finds GOP Seen as Having Better Plan on Economy, Immigration, Crime, and More
Reuters/Ipsos survey shows Republicans leading on multiple policy areas, with Democrats strongest on environment, healthcare and democracy-related issues
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday shows a plurality of Americans believe the Republican Party has the better plan than Democrats on a broad set of issues, including the economy, immigration, crime and gun policy. The survey questioned more than 1,000 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The GOP was seen as having the better plan on seven of 11 policy areas, with the strongest margins on crime and immigration — 20 percentage points and 18 percentage points, respectively. The GOP also led on how to handle foreign conflicts, at 35% to 23%, and on the economy, at 34% to 24%.
Voters favored the GOP on gun control by 4 points and on corruption by 27% to 21%. On political extremism, 28% named it as their top issue, compared with 16% who cited the economy; respondents backed Republican plans to confront extremism by 4 percentage points.
Democrats led on the environment and on women’s rights by double-digit margins and also held the edge on healthcare by 9 points and on respect for democracy by about 2 points.
On the economy more broadly, the poll showed the GOP with a 34% to 24% edge, even as President Donald Trump’s approval rating stood at 41%, down 1 point from a Reuters/Ipsos measure earlier in the month. The Democratic advantage was more pronounced on the environment and on healthcare-related issues, and Democrats also led on healthcare, environment and women’s rights, as well as a modest edge on democracy-related questions.
The survey was conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21 among more than 1,000 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The results come as voters weigh competing visions for handling broad policy challenges, with Republicans emphasizing law-and-order and stricter immigration enforcement, and Democrats advocating for environmental protections, expanded healthcare access and stronger protections for civil rights. The Reuters/Ipsos data reflect a snapshot of opinion at a time when national discourse heavily centers on national security, border policy and economic policy.
Trump-related dynamics and party messaging are likely to continue shaping public perception of which party has the better plan on key issues, though the poll shows clear polarities on several fronts. The data provide a quantitative read on where the public sees alignment with a given party’s approach to major policy areas as the election cycle progresses.
