ABC poll: Immigration, abortion see highest partisan splits in importance
The latest poll conducted by Ipsos and Langer Research for ABC News found that the widest gap between Democrats and Republicans on what issues are considered important were over abortion and immigration.
Ninety percent of Republicans told the pollster that "the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border" was a highly important issue, while 68% of independents and 50% of Democrats said the same, a 40-percentage-point difference between the partisans.
Ipsos found that abortion was highly important to 84% of Democrats, 46% of Republicans and 55% of independents, a 38-percentage-point difference between the left and right.
The partisans were closer on the economy, with 96% of GOP survey respondents saying it was highly important, compared to 86% of Democrats and 90% of independents.
Poll chaplains' national mission: To protect the 'sacred right' to vote
The poll found that Vice President Kamala Harris has a 2 percentage point lead with registered voters and a 4 percentage lead with likely voters, the latter being equal to the lead in exit polling ABC News had for President Joe Biden in 2020.
The poll was conducted online from Oct. 18-22 in English and Spanish among 2,808 adults with 2,392 registered voters and 1,913 likely voters in the sample. The poll carried a 2 percentage point margin of error amongst registered voters and a 2.5 margin of error amongst likely voters.
Harris seen as more fit, trustworthy candidate
Ipsos found that 58% of registered voters it surveyed viewed Harris "in good enough physical health to serve effectively as president," compared to 29% of respondents saying the same for former President Donald Trump.
Respondents also felt that Harris "is more honest and trustworthy," "has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president" and "understands the problems of people like you" by double-digit margins.
Ipsos found that 90% of registered voters it surveyed said that the economy was a highly important issue and that 48% of respondents thought that Trump was more trusted to handle it, compared to Harris' 40%.
Respondents told the Ipsos that Harris was more trusted on "looking out for the middle class" (45%-39%) and "protecting American democracy" (47%-39%).
The poll had the candidates close in voter enthusiasm, with 88% of Harris supporters enthusiastic about her and 85% of Trump supporters enthusiastic about him. Voters in battleground states were 4% more likely to have been contacted by the Harris campaign compared to the Trump campaign, according to the poll.
Things to keep in mind about polling
The margin of error describes how accurately we can count on the survey results being representative of the entire population.
When a candidate's lead is "inside" the margin of error, it is considered a "statistical tie," according to Pew Research Center.
Pew has also found the majority of pollsters have changed their methods since the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, where Trump's performance was significantly underestimated.
Contributing: Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll: Partisan voters split on importance of immigration, abortion