AP VoteCast: Wisconsin voters sour on state of nation

Voters in Wisconsin made their pick for president while holding negative views about the country's direction, according to an expansive AP survey of the American electorate.

The race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday as the nation remains in the throes of a global public health crisis and mired in the economic downturn it brought on. AP VoteCast found that 41% of Wisconsin voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 59% of voters said it is headed in the wrong direction.

Here's a snapshot of who voted and what matters to them, based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of about 133,000 voters and nonvoters -- including 3,506 voters and 593 nonvoters in Wisconsin -- conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

TRUMP VS BIDEN

In the race for president, Biden had an advantage over Trump among voters under 45 but older voters leaned toward Trump over Biden.

College-educated voters were more likely to prefer Biden over Trump. Trump had an advantage among voters without a college degree.

Suburban voters modestly preferred Biden over Trump. Biden was preferred among voters in cities. Trump led Biden among voters in small towns and rural areas.

FACING THE PANDEMIC

The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 16% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 27% said it's somewhat under control. Fifty-seven percent of voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country.

ON THE ISSUES

The coronavirus pandemic was top of mind for many voters in Wisconsin. Forty-five percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.

Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 27% saying it ranked at the top.

Nine percent named health care, 5% named law enforcement and 5% named racism.

NATIONAL ECONOMY

Voters were slightly negative in their assessments of the nation's economy. Overall, 46% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 54% called them not so good or poor.

STAYING AT HOME

Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Wisconsin, 25% said that was because they don't like politics generally, 22% said they don't like the candidates and 14% said they are concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus.

In Wisconsin, 62% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 80% did not have a college degree.

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AP created this story automatically using results from AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for Fox News, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, USA Today Network, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. The survey of 3,506 voters in Wisconsin was conducted for eight days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The survey combines a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file and self-identified registered voters selected from nonprobability online panels. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 2 percentage points. Find more details about AP VoteCast's methodology at https://ap.org/votecast.

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. presidential elections: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020