NORC polling takeaways: Arkansans worried about economy, healthcare, data center impact

The midterm election last week handed Democrats historic wins across the country along with moderate gains in Arkansas’ statehouse. The results of the election also revealed many of the top issues that drove voters’ concerns.

Findings released the day after the election by NORC’s Civic Health & Elections Project offered details on what voters in Arkansas and other states were most concerned about. The project surveyed more than 110,000 registered voters across all 50 states, including those who decided not to vote. NORC collected the data in the week before Election Day. In Arkansas, the project interviewed more than 1,500 people.

You can use the online dashboard to explore more of the project’s findings in Arkansas and other states. The polling methodology and information about the margin of error can be found here.

Here are some of the key findings the poll made about Arkansas:

The economy was the top issue

Economic issues were the top concern for a majority of Arkansas voters, according to the poll, with 58% of likely voters surveyed identifying the economy and jobs as one of the top issues facing the country. That mirrored the national numbers.

Forty-five percent of likely Arkansas voters identified healthcare as one of the top issues, and 32% identified immigration as a top issue.

Healthcare worries spurred action

Worries about healthcare prompted Arkansans to take action, the survey revealed, with 88% of likely voters saying protecting and improving the health of their families motivated them in some fashion to take civic action such as voting, contacting elected officials or attending a public meeting.

The polling showed that only a quarter of likely voters said they support replacing private insurance with a publicly run government health system, and 46% of respondents not supporting such an approach. But 47% of likely voters said they support a publicly run health insurance option that would be available alongside private health insurance, while 22% said they oppose.

And 66% of the state’s likely voters said they’d support regulating private insurance to make it more affordable.

Arkansans worried about AI, data centers’ impact

The polling showed heavy concerns among Arkansas voters about data centers, especially when it comes to utility costs. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters in Arkansas said they were extremely or very concerned about data centers impacting the price of utilities, including electricity and water, in the communities where they are built. Sixty percent data centers said they were extremely or very concerned about data centers impacting pollution of natural resources, including air and water, in the communities where they are built.

Fifty-seven percent of likely voters in the state said they somewhat or strongly oppose the construction of a data center in their area.

The responses come as communities around the state have enacted measures in recent months to temporarily prevent data centers from moving into their areas or to impose new regulations on them.

The surveys also showed widespread support for more guardrails on AI, with 65% of likely voters saying they support more regulation of artificial intelligence and 67% supporting policies to limit their use in public elementary and high schools.

Arkansans think they’re being divided for others’ gain

The NORC polling showed high levels of distrust in government and in elected officials.

Fifty-eight percent of likely voters in the state said they somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement that most of the time we can trust people in government to do what is right. Sixty-eight percent said they somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement that most politicians are in politics only for what they can get out of it personally.

Nearly two-thirds of voters said they agreed with the statement that politicians benefit more from dividing people against each other than uniting them.

The surveys also revealed pessimism about the future with 52% of likely voters saying they believe America’s best days are behind us.

Arkansas voters show confidence in school districts, colleges

The polling showed that Arkansas voters have faith in their local school districts and their institutions of higher education.

Seventy-three percent of likely voters said they had a great deal or some confidence in the people running colleges or universities in their area, and 76% said the same about K-12 school districts in their area.

Forty-four percent said they strongly or somewhat favored taxpayer-funded school vouchers, with 35% somewhat or strongly opposed.