• Press Release

NEW POLLING: Understanding Issues that Matter to Women Voters is Central to Democrats’ Success in Midterms

August 13, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. –New national polling from Impact Research on behalf of EMILYs List Action gives insight into the breadth and depth of Americans’ current economic struggles, the anger they have toward the current state of politics under a second Trump administration, and what they’re looking for in candidates in 2025 and 2026. Most Americans, but particularly women, are struggling financially in their daily lives and feel bleak about their financial futures. Voters blame Republicans for the poor economy, and the overwhelming feeling that they can’t get ahead has led to a strong desire for leaders who connect with their hardships and are going to take action to improve circumstances. Democratic women are best positioned to connect with voters on both these fronts.

“EMILYs List Action commissioned this poll to gain a broad landscape view of where the American electorate stands post 2024 heading into the midterms. We have known for many years that the economy is a major driving issue for voters, but we don’t often look deeper,” said Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List. “Women are suffering the most under Republicans’ reckless economic agenda — and they reliably make up the majority of the electorate in midterm elections. Responding to the struggles facing women and what it will take to get them out of this crisis is critical to Democrats’ success in 2026.”

“This was a very comprehensive survey that allows us to get a deeper understanding of who feels these challenges most acutely,” said Molly Murphy, president of Impact Research. “People are struggling financially and they’re feeling bleak, but what does that actually look like: 45% of women say they are currently falling behind, and women are feeling this much more acutely than men. Even those who are not struggling are treading water and have the smallest cushion and what they’re really looking for is big change and bold leaders — leaders who are going to stand up, call out the system and demand action.” 

In both midterm and presidential elections, women consistently comprise a majority of the electorate both nationally and in battleground states. Understanding women’s circumstances and priorities is essential for Democratic campaigns to succeed in 2026 and beyond, and their votes should not be taken for granted, especially as issues that matter to women — from the economy and costs to health and reproductive care — are central to both family well-being and who women vote for.

Full poll memo below:

August 12, 2025

To:          Interested Parties
From:     Impact Research
Re:         EMILYs List Action National Poll Findings 

A recent national polling project conducted by Impact Research on behalf of EMILYs List Action took an in-depth look at how American voters are feeling about their economic situation and the state of the country six months into the Trump Administration.

The findings reveal for the first time the breadth and depth of the economic challenges facing voters and the anger they have towards the current state of politics. Most Americans, but particularly women, are struggling financially in their daily lives and feel bleak about their financial futures. Voters’ overwhelming feeling that they can’t get ahead has led to a strong desire to elect leaders who can connect with the hardships of their everyday lives and are going to actually do something to improve it — Democratic women are best positioned to connect with voters on both these fronts.

In both midterm and presidential elections women consistently comprise a majority of the electorate both nationally and in battleground states. Understanding women’s circumstances and priorities is essential for Democratic campaigns to succeed in 2026 and beyond, and their votes should not be taken for granted, especially as issues that matter to women — from the economy and costs to health and reproductive care — are central to both family well-being and who women vote for.

Key Findings on Challenging Economic Situation Facing American Women:

  • A plurality of Americans are struggling financially (48%), with women, particularly younger women and women of color, facing much more challenging circumstances than their male counterparts. Overall, 45% of women are falling behind or only making enough to get through the day-to-day compared to 34% of men, and only 21% say they make enough money right now to be able to grow their savings compared to 29% of men. Black women (59% are falling behind or only making enough to get through the day-to-day) and younger women (49% are falling behind or only making enough to get through the day-to-day) are struggling the most — especially compared to their male counterparts.
  • Nearly 6-in-10 women are self-described caregivers — though only a fraction of them are caring for children. Women care for others at a higher rate than men (43%). Notably, just 17% of women say they provide care for a child while nearly double that care (or have cared) for aging or ill family members and friends (31%). These women are not paid for their work, are more likely to work multiple jobs, and are more likely to not be making enough to make ends meet (18% of caregivers / 13% of non-care givers). 
  • Women are not optimistic about their financial futures. Just 24% of women expect that over the next year their financial situation will improve compared to 34% of men, and this dynamic holds across racial and generational lines.
  • Beyond groceries, the dominant cost concern for women is housing and health care. Housing (27% top 2) and health care costs (26%) are top sources of financial stress for more than a quarter of women but for those living on the financial fray housing is a particularly big concern (40%). While these women are concerned about nearly every type of cost, they also reflect anxiety about credit card debt and unexpected costs. 

Key Findings on Voters Views of the U.S Political Landscape 

  • Voters overwhelmingly want big systemic change — and the voters who are struggling the most, especially women, want to see the most sweeping change. Nearly 80% of Americans, regardless of their financial situations, say that Washington needs big changes. That said, voters who are in a dire financial situation are nearly three times more likely to say the current system in Washington is broken beyond repair (34% compared to 12% of those doing well). Women are also more critical of Washington (83% broken/big problems) than men (74%). 
  • Americans do not feel they are getting the leadership they want right now — and the style of leadership they want depends significantly on their financial situation. 82% of voters who are struggling are looking for candidates who will fight for them, but right now they are not seeing it from either party (21%). Those who are doing well financially want to see an end to political divisions (61%) and more bipartisanship (57%) and they do not give either party that advantage.
  • Over 60% of voters think the economy isn’t doing well and Republicans bear that responsibility. Finances are the biggest source of stress for their families (72% total economic issues) and only 37% think the U.S. economy is doing well compared to 61% who say it’s doing poor/not so well. Republicans own the economy, nearly 70% say they are more responsible for how the economy is going than Democrats and voters give Trump a -10 net job approval rating for handling the economy. On top of that, across parties, voters think the economy is driven by decisions that elected officials made (69%) over decisions made by other factors like big corporations and Wall Street (24%).
  • Elected officials who voted to cut Medicaid are facing a significant dealbreaker for voters. This is one of the most significant dealbreakers for voters across the board (47% major dealbreaker) but is particularly salient among the voters struggling most (59%), Independents (51%), and to women (52%).
  • A national abortion ban or more restrictions is still both a likelihood and a dealbreaker for half of all women. Two thirds believe the Trump administration will — in one way or another — threaten abortion rights (64%), and 49% of women say that is a dealbreaker for them when voting while even 52% of men say it’s at least a real problem. That said, although abortion was a #1 issue for women in 2022, we’re seeing economic situations and priorities more top of mind now.
  • Democrats are better positioned than Republicans on the important and animating policies. Across the board, policies that would make life less expensive are voters’ top priorities right now including longstanding Democratic values like lowering Rx costs (48% extremely important overall / 54% women), cutting taxes for the middle class (46% / 48%) while raising taxes on billionaires (37% / 42%), addressing housing affordability (48% / 54%), and protecting women’s health care (43% / 51%). 
     

Findings are based on the results of a multimodal survey conducted by Impact Research from June 20-30, 2025. Interviews were collected via text-to-web and online panel. The sample included a total of N=1,800 (1,200 women / 600 men) weighted to represent the nationwide electorate with oversamples among 220 Black women, 250 Hispanic women, 250 AAPI women, and 150 younger Black men. The results are subject to a margin of error of +/-2.3% and higher for subgroups.

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EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Over 40 years, EMILYs List has raised nearly $950 million to help Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the most impactful independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 192 women to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,600 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.