Exit polls: US voters name democracy and economy as top issues

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AFP People vote at a polling station at Addison Town Hall in Allenton, Wisconsin, on Election Day, 5 November, 2024. AFP

Democracy and the economy were the most important issues for voters in the US elections this year, early results from exit polls suggest.

More than a third of people identified democracy as their top concern, out of the five options given.

The economy was the next choice, followed by abortion, immigration and foreign policy. This early data could change as it is updated with new information over the course of the night.

The economy has previously ranked top of the list of issues motivating voters in every presidential election since 2008. It remains within the margin of error for being a top issue.

A graphic showing 35% of voters named the state of democracy as their top concern, followed by the economy, abortion, immigration and foreign policy

Nearly three quarters of those asked said they felt democracy was “very” or “somewhat” threatened.

And about seven in 10 voters in this current data were worried about violence related to the results of the election.

The BBC's US broadcast partner CBS says this is the first time in its history – going back to the 1970s – that the exit poll has asked voters about the prospect of violence as it relates specifically to a US presidential election.

A graphic showing that 71% said they were concerned about violence as a result of this election while 27% were not

Seven in 10 voters were confident that the election was being conducted fairly and accurately but this is split on voting lines with Harris supporters much more confident, while Trump supporters were equally divided.

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