A Center for Rural Strategies poll reveals a gender divide when it comes to economic concerns with 24% of rural women saying they are “very worried” about having to choose between paying for medical bills, including prescription drugs, or paying for food and utilities, compared to just 17% of rural men. (Adobe Stock) Listen to the story HERE May 14, […]
A Center for Rural Strategies poll reveals a gender divide when it comes to economic concerns with 24% of rural women saying they are “very worried” about having to choose between paying for medical bills, including prescription drugs, or paying for food and utilities, compared to just 17% of rural men. (Adobe Stock)
Listen to the story HERE
May 14, 2026
By Kathryn Carley
A recent poll finds rural Americans are deeply pessimistic about the U.S. economy and are reconsidering the role of government in helping those in need.
The Center for Rural Strategies interviewed 600 rural voters in more than a dozen U.S. Senate battleground states, including New Hampshire and Maine. Fifty-two-percent of those respondents say the economy is not working well for them.
Unlike previous polls, said Dee Davis, the center’s president, these voters are much less likely to say the government should “get out of their way.”
“Right now, people are admitting that they need government support,” he said. “Weakness in the private sector and the high cost of living are really influencing rural voters.”
Rising gas and home heating prices have been a central focus of the Maine race, where Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner aims to unseat longtime Senate Republican Susan Collins. In New Hampshire, high housing and energy prices are a driving issue in the race to replace three-term Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
The poll found rural voters have strong support for federal policies that protect Social Security benefits or make healthcare more affordable. Still, Davis said it’s a little surprising to see that voters from smaller towns and cities feel so uncertain about where things are headed. He said he thinks the chaotic nature of politics right now is feeding their economic concerns.
“Rural voters would like something solid,” he said, “and a plan that acknowledges the tough issues they’re facing, like cost of food, cost of gas.”
President Donald Trump still has some favorability among rural voters, but most of those surveyed say his administration and this Republican-led Congress aren’t doing a good job of lowering costs and improving the economy. Sixty-two-percent of rural voters supported Trump in 2024, but just 52% of rural poll respondents hold a favorable view of him today.
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