One week before Americans vote in the 2018 midterm elections, new polling from the United States Studies Centre (USSC) suggests Donald Trump, healthcare and immigration are the most important issues for likely voters.

A survey of 1,218 respondents fielded in the United States in early October 2018 by YouGov, on behalf of the USSC, analysed the key issues Americans say are influencing their votes.

“Democrats and Republicans differ markedly in what is important to them. Democrats nominate healthcare, Republicans emphasise the state of the US economy and immigration,” USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman said.

Climate change was the issue that saw the greatest difference between Democrats and Republicans, with 78 per cent of Democratic voters rating it as an issue of importance, as opposed to just 16 per cent of Republican voters

The USSC-YouGov poll also reveals important differences in the political priorities of men and women, and voters with different racial and ethnic identities, Professor Jackman said.

“Health, race relations, guns, climate change and crime were more important for women, while trade was more important for men,” he said.

Forty per cent of respondents said they intended to vote for a Democratic House of Representatives candidate, 35 per cent intended to vote Republican, while 16 per cent said they were unsure and 8 per cent did not intend to vote.

• View the full polling breakdown

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