In the three months since the initial KFF Survey of Women Voters, several major unexpected political events have taken place, impacting voters’ motivations and voting decisions for Election Day. This includes President Biden’s announcement that he would no longer seek reelection, with Vice President Harris quickly garnering the Democratic nomination as his replacement. To better understand how this and other events have impacted campaign dynamics and how voters feel leading into the November election, KFF resurveyed women voters and finds a very different female electorate one month before Election Day.
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The KFF Survey of Women Voters and KFF Survey of Women Voters: Revisited examine differing motivations, attitudes, and experiences among women by race and ethnicity, age, and partisanship heading into the 2024 election at two points in time: before Harris was the Democratic nominee, and after Harris’s nomination.
The initial survey results presented below are from a multi-mode survey of women voters from state-level voter files, fielded May 23-Jun. 5, 2024, including 1,383 women voters nationally, 928 women voters in Arizona, and 876 Michigan women voters. The resurvey — fielded Sept. 12-Oct. 1, 2024 — includes 649 women voters across the U.S. who took part in the initial national survey, giving a unique perspective on how this election has shifted over the past three months.
Published: 10/11/2024
Key Findings
Introduction
Top Issues
Inflation, including the rising cost of household expenses, continues to be the most important issue for women voters overall, with over a third (36%) citing it as the “most important” issue in their vote for president. This is followed by threats to democracy (24%) and immigration and border security (13%). A slightly larger share of women voters now say abortion is the most important issue to them (13%) than earlier this summer (10%), perhaps a reflection of the increased emphasis placed on reproductive rights by the Harris-Walz ticket.
With Harris as the Democratic nominee heading into the election, about one in five (18%) Democratic women voters, rising to one in four (26%) Democratic women voters of reproductive age, say abortion is the most important issue to them. Even still, inflation remains the most important issue for Democratic and Republican women voters alike, unchanged from earlier in this campaign season.
Abortion is now the single most important issue to women under age 30, with about four in ten (39%) naming it as their top issue, followed by inflation (28%). This is a dramatic shift from earlier this summer, when half (48%) of women under age 30 cited inflation, and one in five (20%) cited abortion as their top issue. About one in ten women ages 30-54 (12%) or ages 55 and older (7%) say that abortion is their top issue, unchanged from earlier this summer.
Mood of the Election
In early summer 2024, the initial KFF Survey of Women Voters reported that women voters were not largely enthusiastic about the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Resurveyed three months later, women voters are not only more satisfied about their options for president, but two-thirds (64%) say they are more motivated to vote in this election compared to previous presidential elections. And while many still feel “anxious” and “frustrated,” a majority now say they are “hopeful” and half say they are “enthusiastic” – marking a massive shift in how women voters see the 2024 election.
For many, the increase in motivation isn’t just because it is closer to Election Day; half of voters (51%) say Vice President Harris becoming the Democratic nominee for president has made them “more motivated” to vote in the upcoming election. The share of voters who say Harris’ candidacy has made them more motivated increases to nearly six in ten Black women voters and Democratic women voters. The share of women voters who say they are more motivated this election cycle because of Harris’ candidacy also includes 55% of women voters who say abortion is the most important issue in determining their vote choice.
When asked explicitly why they are more motivated now that President Biden has decided not to run for reelection and VP Harris is the nominee, Democratic women offer responses saying she is a better candidate or that she has a better chance of beating former President Trump, and Republican women are more motivated because they see her as a greater threat.
In Their Own Words
“Why are you now more motivated to vote in the upcoming election now that Vice President Harris is the Democratic nominee?”
Among Democratic women voters:
“She seems like a competent candidate closer to my age group and will understand issues that affect my generation more than Biden.” – Hispanic Democratic woman from California, age 37
“She is younger, female and a person of color. I was concerned that President Biden could not win reelection. I now think we have a chance.” – White Democratic woman from Michigan, age 50
“I think she is educated I think she is on top of it smart and intelligent and knows some of the ropes. If we need a change we might as well start with her.” – Black Democratic woman from Oklahoma, age 70
Among Republican women voters:
“She hasn't done anything to help the American people in four years, why would we want her to be commander in chief!” – White Republican woman from Ohio, age 75
“So President Trump will be reelected.” – Multi-racial Republican woman from Illinois, age 43
“She hasn't done anything to help the American people in four years, why would we want her to be commander in chief!” – White Republican woman from Ohio, age 75
“Hoping she doesn’t become the first female president.” – White Republican woman from Texas, age 38
“Because Kamala Harris is a threat to our country.” – White Republican woman from Nebraska, age 77
Economy and Inflation as an Election Issue
With inflation and the rising cost of household expenses top of mind, Vice President Harris holds the edge among women voters when it comes to handling the rising cost of household expenses, with about half (46%) trusting her over former President Trump (39%). One in six women voters say they trust “neither” candidate to address costs. Harris’ overall advantage on this issue is especially notable because back in June, voters were split evenly on which party they trusted more to deal with this issue, giving neither party the advantage.
Also in June, the Democratic Party fared better than the Republican Party among Black and Hispanic women, though to a lesser extent. At the time, four in ten Black (41%) and Hispanic (43%) women voters said they trusted neither political party to best address costs.
Harris also has a strong advantage as the candidate women voters trust to do a better job addressing health care costs, with half saying they trust her and one in three (34%) saying they trust Trump.
Among Black women, Harris holds the strongest advantage, with three in four saying they trust the VP more on this issue, while just 5% say they trust Trump more. Hispanic women trust Harris more, at a 2 to 1 ratio (55% for Harris vs. 27% for Trump). White women are split evenly between the two candidates on who they would trust to lower the cost of health care for people like them (43% trust Harris vs. 42% trust Trump). Again, partisans are most likely to trust their party’s candidate on this issue, though nearly one in five Republican women (18%) and one in ten Democratic women say they trust neither candidate.
Abortion as an Election Issue
Women voters are more likely to say that this election will have a “major” impact on abortion access than they were June, when President Biden was still the Democratic nominee. Now, two-thirds (65%) of women voters—including large majorities across race, ethnicity, and age—think this election will have a “major” impact, up from just over half (54%) in June. . Even greater majorities of Democratic women of reproductive age now compared to June say this election will majorly impact abortion access, though Republican women overall continue to see the stakes as relatively low.
Majorities across partisans as well as women of reproductive age say they think it is likely that former President Trump will sign a federal law banning abortions after 15 weeks in the U.S., if such a law is passed by Congress. Trump has repeatedly said that he will not sign a federal abortion ban. A federal ban on abortion is unpopular among women voters, with two-thirds overall saying they would oppose a nationwide ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.
In contrast, most women across party lines, including about nine in ten (94%) Democratic women and three in four Republican women, say VP Harris is likely to sign a law restoring Roe v. Wade, protecting nationwide access to abortion, if she is elected and if such a law is passed by Congress. Seven in ten women voters support a nationwide right to abortion, including majorities of Democratic and independent women voters.
Notably, these women voters were less certain of President Biden’s intentions for abortion policy in his second term when he was the Democratic nominee; in June, about seven in ten (72%) women voters said it was likely Biden would sign a law guaranteeing a federal right to abortion until fetal viability, including about one-third (36%) who said this was “very likely.” At the time, Republican women were more likely to say this was “very likely” than Democratic women (46% vs. 32%), suggesting that the messaging from the Harris campaign has been clearer to Democratic voters.
Nearly twice the share of women voters say they trust Vice President Harris to do a better job than former President Trump deciding policy related to abortion access in the U.S. (58% v. 29%), birth control access (60% vs. 25%) and IVF (55% vs. 29%).
Harris fares better on each of these issues than Biden did in June among women voters overall. While President Biden had the edge over Trump on each of these issues, a substantial share of women voters said they trusted “neither” candidate.