(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 21.10.2024).- A KFF survey in the United States shows that abortion is the most important topic, in the November elections, for women younger than 30. And a Newsweek poll shows that abortion has surpassed immigration as the second most important point for voters in the campaign for the presidency of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
In the KFF study, four out of ten women younger than 30 consider abortion as the most important point for their vote. The survey was carried out between September and early October 2024. Another KFF survey at the end of May and beginning of June showed that only 20% mentioned abortion as the main problem. Why this change?
Harris has defended the right to abortion for a long time and attacked Trump for ap,pointing three conservative Judges to the Supreme Court who, in 2022 ruled the annulment of the Roe versus Wade law, which had guaranteed access to abortion at the national level since 1973. From 2022, thirteen States prohibited abortion, with few exceptions.
KFF’s recent survey showed more changes in women that will benefit Harris, such as 24 percentage points of increase in those that said they were satisfied in the election of their candidates and 19 points among women who were more motivated to vote than in the previous presidential elections. It seems these changes indicate women’s pushback on voting for Donald Trump.
Newsweek’s poll was carried out by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, which asked: “What questions will most probably determine your vote in the presidential elections of November 2024? You can choose up to three.” Four points out of the 24 proposed were repeated in more than two out of every five polled: the economy, abortion, immigration and health care.
21% of those surveyed by Redfield & Wilton Strategies pointed out abortion as the key point in a survey of July 2023; now, in October, it’s marked by 38%. Immigration went from being key with 30% of those polled in July 2023 to 36% in the latest 2024 survey.
Women show preference to vote for Harris over Biden, but the election confronted with Trump is still close.
According to an analysis of FiveThirtyEight, published on October 20, it seems that Harris has an advantage of 2.5 points in national surveys, although other polls show more division between the majority of women that support Harris compared with the majority of men that support Trump. On September 23, Trump said to women in Indiana and Pennsylvania: “You will be protected and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, sure of themselves and free. You will no longer be thinking of abortion.”
According to KFF’s data, Harris gains ground over Trump among women and not only on the issue of abortion. They also prefer her on economic issues, argument that Trump and his advisers believe will give him the greatest support to win the elections. The KFF survey indicates that 46% of women voters trust Harris more because she addresses household costs and 39% prefer the former President. The rest distrust both.
