A new poll showed more rural voters in the Sunshine State are warming to the idea of government intervention as deep economic anxiety takes hold.

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

"I remember when we were first starting to reach out, we would get a lot of, 'I'm going to be OK but I worry about my kids,'" Davis recounted. "Now I think we're getting more of, 'I worry about my kids, I worry about myself, I worry about my community.'"

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 found President Donald Trump's favorability among rural voters in battleground states at 52% favorable, 46% unfavorable, down from his 65% vote share in 2024.

"Nobody's shining, certainly not the Democrats," Davis observed. "Nobody's feeling like the Democratic Party is creating a positive alternative for Trump voters. I just think that there's going to be more and more people who are not excited about this election."

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

Source: Public News Service