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KFF/AP Survey of RURAL VOTERS

KFF/AP Survey Probes Rural Voters’ Increasing Anxieties About the Rising Cost of Living, Including Health Costs, Heading into the Midterm Elections

Economic Frustration Tests Trump’s Standing With Rural Voters, New KFF-AP Poll Find

Read more from KFF Health News and Associated Press journalists.

Read the KFF/AP Rural Voters Survey News Release

HeaLTH COSTS

Costs and Other Barriers to Care Can Worsen Health For Adults With Multiple or Complex Health Conditions

Health Care Access and Affordability for Adults with Multiple or Complex Health Conditions: A Snapshot of Patient Experiences

Significant shares of adults with multiple or complex health conditions, including cancer, lung disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health conditions say they struggle to pay their medical bills and access needed care and medication. These challenges fall hardest on uninsured adults who face greater costs and access challenges.

The Group that Struggles the Most in American Health Care

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, KFF’s Founding President and CEO, previews findings about the chronically ill uninsured from a large KFF survey of 25,000 Americans focusing on the cost and access challenges facing the chronically ill, which will be released tomorrow. He writes: “There are more than enough needs to go around in American health care, but if I had to pick the one group that struggles the most with costs and access, it would be people with chronic illnesses who are also uninsured.”

Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs

This data note reviews recent KFF polling data about Americans' struggles to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults, and those with lower incomes.

Health Information and Trust

KFF stacked bar chart from April 2025 showing the share of adults ages 50 and older by total and by partisanship who say they view mRNA vaccines as generally safe, generally unsafe, or don't know enough to say. It shows that most adults ages 50 and older are unsure whether mRNA vaccines are safe. Among adults 50 and older, Democrats are more likely than independents and Republicans to say mRNA vaccines are generally safe, but still half across partisanship say they are unsure.

As FDA Approves First-Ever mRNA Flu Vaccine For Older Adults, Past KFF Polling Showed Most In This Age Group Were Uncertain About the Technology’s Safety

On August 5, 2026 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, following a trial of roughly 40,000 people. KFF polling in April 2025 found that most adults ages 50 and older were uncertain whether mRNA vaccines are safe.

From Drew Altman: Americans May Be Smarter About Vaccines Than You Think

Dashboard: Polling on Health Information and Trust

Drawing on KFF’s poll findings, this interactive dashboard tracks the public’s trusted sources for health information, attitudes toward vaccines, and use of news, social media, and AI for health-related information.

Health Tracking PollS

Mifepristone and the Midterms

Amid an ongoing FDA re-review of mifepristone, awareness of the safety and prevalence of the abortion pill remains limited. This KFF poll also finds that the voters who say abortion policy is an important issue for 2026 midterm candidates to discuss are disproportionately Democrats.

Ebola Response and Pandemic Preparedness

Much of the public has yet to form an opinion on the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this poll finds. Four in ten adults say the U.S. is less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2020.

Public Views on Fraud in Government Health Programs

As the 2026 midterms approach, health care costs remain voters’ top health priority, but fraud in government health programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, is resonating with Republican voters, 55% of whom say it’s extremely important for candidates to address.

MAHA and the Midterms

This KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that the cost of health care is a more prominent focus for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) voters than issues like food and vaccine policy. Four in ten MAHA voters (42%) choose lowering health costs as the most important health priority, outranking other MAHA priorities.