AP VoteCast: Indiana voters mixed on state of nation
Voters in Indiana made their pick for president while holding mixed views about the country's direction, according to an expansive AP survey of the American electorate.
The race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday as the nation remains in the throes of a global public health crisis and mired in the economic downturn it brought on. AP VoteCast found that 47% of Indiana voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 52% of voters said it is headed in the wrong direction.
Here's a snapshot of who voted and what matters to them, based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of about 133,000 voters and nonvoters -- including 2,367 voters and 572 nonvoters in Indiana -- conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
TRUMP VS BIDEN
In the race for president, Trump was about tied with Biden among voters under 45. Older voters were more likely to support Trump.
Voters without a college degree were more likely to support Trump but college-educated voters were divided.
Voters in cities were more likely to back Biden over Trump but Trump was preferred among both suburban voters and voters in small towns and rural areas.
RACE FOR GOVERNOR
In the race for governor, Eric Holcomb had an edge over Woodrow 'Woody' Myers among voters under 45. Older voters were more likely to back Holcomb over Myers.
Both voters without a college degree and college-educated voters were more likely to prefer Holcomb.
Holcomb led among both suburban voters and voters in small towns and rural areas while voters in cities were divided between Myers and Holcomb.
FACING THE PANDEMIC
The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 20% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 33% said it's somewhat under control. Forty-six percent of voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country.
ON THE ISSUES
The coronavirus pandemic was top of mind for many voters in Indiana. Thirty-seven percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.
Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 30% saying it ranked at the top.
Eleven percent named health care, 7% named racism and 4% named law enforcement.
NATIONAL ECONOMY
Voters were closely divided in their assessments of the nation's economy. Overall, 49% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 51% called them not so good or poor.
STAYING AT HOME
Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Indiana, 29% said that was because they don't like politics generally, 20% said they don't like the candidates and 15% said their vote doesn't matter.
In Indiana, 65% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 84% did not have a college degree.
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AP created this story automatically using results from AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for Fox News, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, USA Today Network, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. The survey of 2,367 voters in Indiana was conducted for eight days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The survey combines a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file and self-identified registered voters selected from nonprobability online panels. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. Find more details about AP VoteCast's methodology at https://ap.org/votecast.
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