Voters Trust Democrats More on Living Costs, but Doubt Both Parties Can Deliver

By Alex Bouget | TalkLife News
October 3, 2026

Democrats hold an advantage over Republicans on handling living costs in a newly reported AP-NORC survey, but the same findings reveal a public deeply skeptical of both parties’ ability to solve problems.

Among registered voters, 38% trusted Democrats more on the cost of living, compared with 27% who favored Republicans. Another 27% trusted neither party, according to the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

That third figure changes the meaning of the headline. An advantage over the opposition does not necessarily amount to broad confidence in a party’s economic agenda.

Only about two in ten voters believed either party could solve important problems or help people like them extremely or very well, AP reported. Those responses describe voters’ assessments, not an objective measurement of what a party has accomplished.

The survey interviewed 2,140 adults, including 1,766 registered voters, between September 24 and 28 through NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel. The margin of sampling error for registered voters was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Polling provides a snapshot of opinion during those dates. It cannot by itself predict turnout, determine the outcome of an individual race or show that attitudes will remain unchanged through Election Day.

For people balancing rent, groceries and other recurring bills, the practical question extends beyond party preference: which specific proposals would change their costs, and how would those measures be funded?

The findings invite scrutiny of both parties’ plans. They do not support treating either side’s campaign promises as delivered results.

Sources

• AP-NORC findings and methodology
• Associated Press, October 3