Rural voters across Senate battleground states are deeply worried about the rising cost of living, and while that concern cuts across party lines, a new poll suggests it is especially pronounced among women.
The survey – conducted by the Daily Yonder’s publisher, the Center for Rural Strategies, and Lake Research Partners, a Democratic research firm – interviewed 600 rural voters in 13 Senate battleground states in March. It paints a picture of a partisan rural electorate, but one that is aligned on economic anxiety.
Fifty-five percent of rural voters said the rising cost of living is one of their top concerns. That includes about 60% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans. Women were more likely than men to cite the issue as one of their main concerns – 58% compared to 52%.
Despite sharp partisan divides on many issues, rural voters showed agreement on some economic policies.
“People were adamant about protecting social security benefits, increasing local manufacturing jobs, cracking down on price gouging, and making healthcare more affordable,” said pollster Celinda Lake in an interview with Yonder Radio. “There is a very, very strong proactive issue agenda in rural America.”
The Gender Gap in Economic Anxiety
The poll revealed a consistent gender gap in how rural voters experience economic strain.
When asked about the state of the rural economy, 46% of rural voters said it has gotten worse over the past year. That view is split along party lines. About 70% of rural Democrats and 29% of rural Republicans said the rural economy has worsened over the past year. That view is less heavily split by gender, with 49% of women and 43% of men saying the same.
But the gender divide widens when it comes to day-to-day financial fears.
About a quarter of rural women said they were ‘very worried’ about having to choose between necessities like medical bills and food or utilities, compared to only 17% of rural men.
Thirty-two percent of rural women said they were ‘very worried’ about cuts to government programs like SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, compared to 22% of rural men.
A quarter of rural women said they were ‘very worried’ about losing health insurance due to rising premiums, while only 14% of rural men said the same.
Twenty-eight percent of rural women said they were ‘very worried’ about affording groceries and basic needs, compared to 19% of rural men.
Signs of Softening Support for Trump
The poll suggests a shift in how rural voters view Donald Trump.
While a slight majority (52%) of rural voters said they view Trump favorably, nearly half (49%) said their views of him have become more negative since he took office in 2025, including 33% who said their views have become ‘much more negative.’
“It’s a stunning decline and a stunning growth in unfavorability,” Lake said. “People usually resist saying they don’t like someone they voted for because they don’t want to admit that they made a mistake.”
Although that shift has been driven largely by Democrats, about a quarter of Republicans said their views have become more negative. Men and women were more evenly split, with about half of each group reporting a more negative shift.
In states like Texas and North Carolina, rural voters contributed to stronger-than-expected Democratic turnout in midterm primaries. But primary electorates are smaller and not always representative of general election voters. For now, it’s unclear whether economic pessimism– and the heightened concern among women– will translate into different voting behavior in November.
