WASHINGTON—A newly released AARP poll finds that an overwhelming majority of Nevada women voters age 50 and over plan to turn out in force this year, with 82% of Democrats definitely planning to participate in the state’s caucus next week. The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, shows that women 50-plus are most concerned about health care (38%), followed by other prominent issues such as immigration (31%) and terrorism and national security (24%). Women 50-plus are more likely to blame drug companies charging too much for medication as most responsible for rising health care costs (47%).

“History shows 50-plus women voters make a difference, and this year they could decide the outcome in Nevada and races across the country,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP EVP and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “Polling shows that health care is the defining issue for this key group of voters and candidates ignore the concerns of this constituency at their peril.”

“Nevada women over 50 are a powerful voice and engaged voter base,” Maria Moore, AARP Nevada State Director said. “This poll underscores the importance of these issues to an important and growing voter group in the Silver State. Those running for office would be wise to understand where these votes stand and how they’ll impact the future of our state.”

This survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of AARP from December 5 to December 25, 2019, among 1,001 age 50-plus, registered women voters in Nevada.

Additional findings from the survey include:  

• A majority (76%) give elected officials a grade of D or F on dealing with the cost of health care and prescription drugs.
• 50-plus women voters in Nevada are most likely to blame drug companies charging too much for medication (47%) as most responsible for rising health care costs.
• One-third (33%) say they can’t afford to pay for their health care and skipped medical care because it was too expensive.
• Nearly a quarter (24%) have rationed prescription medications due to high costs.

The Nevada poll is the fourth in AARP’s “She’s the Difference” series, which is running throughout the 2020 election cycle. The series explores the priorities and concerns of women voters ages 50 and older – a key demographic that will likely determine the outcome of races across the country.

A national poll released last month, the first in this series, found that 95% of women over 50 plan to vote in the 2020 general election, and nearly 7 in 10 have not decided who they will vote for. Other polls include surveys of Iowa and New Hampshire voters.

This survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of AARP from December 5 to December 25, 2019, among 1,001 age 50-plus, registered women voters in Nevada. The data from phone and online interviews were combined and weighted to reflect known demographics. The data are weighted to the population of female Nevada residents age 50-plus using population benchmarks from the Census Bureau’s March 2019 Current Population Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2017 National Health Interview Survey. Weighting by education, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, marital status, household income, employment status, and landline/cell phone usage bring these data into line with the actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online to ensure representativeness among the online respondents. For telephone respondents, number of phone lines, recent phonelessness, and number of adults in the household were also included to account for probability of selection. In keeping with standards set by the American Association for Public Opinion Research, The Harris Poll does not estimate margin of error for this representative sample.

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About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

CONTACT:

Nevada Media: Scott Gulbransen, sculbransen@aarp.org, 702-236-8618

National Media: Colby Nelson, cnelson@aarp.org, 202-706-8416