A new poll of rural voters in Georgia and other Senate battleground states found deep economic anxiety and a willingness to rethink the role of government.

Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies, which commissioned the survey, said the level of pessimism caught researchers off guard.

"They were full of doubt, uncertainty; not happy with the way things were going," Davis reported. "That was a little surprising. We're not used to seeing this much pessimism in rural America."

The poll found 55% of rural voters said the rising cost of living is their most important issue, with food prices topping the list of concerns. Among respondents, 46% said the rural economy has gotten worse over the last year and the number of voters who want government to "get out of their way" dropped from 42% in 2023 to 32% today.

Davis believes the shift in voter attitudes toward government intervention can be attributed to prolonged economic pressure. He noted a slim majority of rural voters say the U.S. economy is not working well for them personally. The poll also found Trump's favorability among rural voters in battleground states at 52% favorable, 46% unfavorable, down from his 65% vote share in 2024.

"Right now, people are admitting that they need government support," Davis observed. "There's weakness in the private sector and the high costs of living are really influencing rural voters."

The survey of 600 rural voters was conducted online from March 18-25 by Lake Research Partners. It included voters in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and other Senate battleground states. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.

Source: Public News Service