- 41 percent of those polled said economy is biggest issue
- Analyst: Republican voters believe Trump is best to tackle economy
- National security, immigration are considered 2nd and 3rd biggest issues, respectively
The economy remains the top concern for voters in Florida, according to the Bay News 9/News 13 Exclusive Statewide poll.
Voters said while things have improved economically for some in the country, making ends meet is not always easy for others.
"You almost feel like you're working hard, but you're not getting anywhere," said mother Melanie Rogers.
"I think the biggest issue right now is poverty, and people who aren't very well off in the country," said voter Stephanie Alleyne.
In the poll, 41 percent agreed that the economy is the biggest issue facing the 2016 presidential candidates.
Nearly one in five voters - 19 percent - picked national security, while 14 percent of the voters said immigration and 10 percent of voters said health care. Education and climate change were each cited as the top issue by 4 percent of those surveyed.
PREVIOUS POLLS
Five percent said they were concerned about another issue, while 3 percent were not sure.
The numbers are very similar to the last survey conducted back in October.
Republican political analyst Chris Ingram said what's so interesting about the most recent poll is that Republican voters overwhelmingly believe Trump is the best candidate to tackle all the issues.
"They look at him as someone who will take on the establishment and do something differently than what we've done in the past," Ingram said.
On the Democratic side, candidate Hillary Clinton also did very well. Democrats polled said she will do the best job tackling the issues.
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Detailed Poll Results
Q: What's the biggest issue facing the 2016 candidates for president?
| All | Gender | Age | Race | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | White | Black | Asian/ Other |
||
| Economy | 41% | 44% | 38% | 42% | 42% | 43% | 38% | 40% | 49% | 39% |
| Immigration | 14% | 16% | 12% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 15% | 13% | 17% | 22% |
| Education | 4% | 4% | 3% | 8% | 5% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 5% | 8% |
| National Security | 19% | 15% | 23% | 14% | 19% | 19% | 23% | 21% | 17% | 4% |
| Health Care | 10% | 10% | 11% | 9% | 12% | 11% | 8% | 11% | 6% | 12% |
| Climate Change | 4% | 4% | 4% | 8% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 5% |
| Other | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 5% |
| Not Sure | 3% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 3% | 5% | 3% | 1% | 4% |
| Composition of Likely November Voters |
100% | 48% | 52% | 13% | 25% | 32% | 29% | 82% | 12% | 6% |
| Party Affiliation | |||||||
| Strong Rep. |
Republican | Ind. lean Rep. |
Independent | Ind. lean Dem. |
Democrat | Strong Dem. |
|
| Economy | 40% | 46% | 38% | 39% | 37% | 43% | 42% |
| Immigration | 18% | 14% | 20% | 14% | 11% | 11% | 7% |
| Education | 1% | 2% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 5% |
| National Security | 26% | 24% | 25% | 12% | 10% | 13% | 16% |
| Health Care | 6% | 8% | 4% | 11% | 18% | 14% | 15% |
| Climate Change | 1% | 1% | 3% | 6% | 10% | 4% | 8% |
| Other | 5% | 2% | 5% | 9% | 4% | 6% | 3% |
| Not Sure | 3% | 3% | 2% | 5% | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Composition of Likely November Voters |
21% | 15% | 14% | 9% | 9% | 17% | 15% |
Surveyed: 1,961 likely November voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 2.3%
Support among Republican voters who say _________ is the most important issue.
| Issues | ||||
| Economy | Immigration | National Security | Health Care | |
| Donald Trump | 47% | 59% | 33% | 41% |
| Ted Cruz | 14% | 23% | 18% | 8% |
| Marco Rubio | 19% | 12% | 30% | 28% |
| John Kasich | 12% | 3% | 11% | 11% |
| Other | 3% | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Undecided | 6% | 3% | 3% | 7% |
| Composition of Likely/Actual GOP Presidential Voters |
41% | 16% | 26% | 7% |
Surveyed: 937 likely & actual GOP presidential primary voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 3.3%
Support among Democratic voters who say _________ is the most important issue.
| Issues | ||||
| Economy | Immigration | National Security | Health Care | |
| Hillary Clinton |
68% | 56% | 70% | 55% |
| Bernie Sanders |
23% | 33% | 25% | 35% |
| Undecided | 8% | 11% | 5% | 9% |
| Composition of Likely/Actual Dem. Presidential Primary Voters |
40% | 10% | 15% | 14% |
Surveyed: 823 likely & actual Democratic presidential primary voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 3.4%
This Florida Decides Exclusive Statewide Poll was conducted by SurveyUSA from March 4-6. Pollsters surveyed 2,450 likely voters via home phones and smart devices. Respondents reachable on a home phone were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents who were not reachable by home phone were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other device.