New AARP Wisconsin poll: 65-plus voters may tip the scales in 2020

Findings show Social Security, Medicare transcend party lines

Tuesday, September 15, 2020, AARP Wisconsin released the full survey results that shows voters age 65-plus are a not a lock for either presidential candidate. Former Vice President Joe Biden (56 percent) leads President Donald Trump (39 percent) among voters 65 and older.

The survey finds that support for Social Security and Medicare unifies voters from both parties. An overwhelming majority of voters from both parties say that they are more likely to vote for a candidate who will protect Social Security, strengthen Medicare, lower drug costs and increase protections for nursing homes.

“Candidates who want to win in 2020 must talk about the issues that matter to voters 50 and over – like voting safely from home or in-person, preventing cuts to Social Security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug prices,” said AARP Wisconsin State Director Sam Wilson.

“Most importantly, Wisconsinites are casting their ballots earlier than ever and candidates need to address their concerns now,” he said. The Wisconsin poll findings include:

• Voters 50-plus plan to vote by absentee ballot (34 percent) or early in-person (17 percent) in large numbers this year.
• 53 percent of voters 50-plus are worried about getting coronavirus and 14 percent know someone who has passed away from coronavirus.
• More 50-plus voters are concerned about getting infected with coronavirus (66 percent) than getting a vaccine for it (30 percent).
• A majority of voters age 50 to 64 (57 percent) are worried about not being able to retire.

Benenson Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group conducted 1200 interviews –by phone, using registered voter lists –with likely 2020 voters in Wisconsin from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8. Seventy-five percent of interviews were conducted via cell phone; 25 percent via landline. The survey included an oversample of 800 50+ voters for additional analysis.

Data was weighed to ensure it was representative of the likely voting universe both overall and 50+. The margin of sampling error for the entire data set is ±2.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. Among likely voters over the age of 50, the margin of sampling error is ±3.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment security and retirement planning. We advocate for consumers in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP VIVA, a bilingual news source. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.