AP VoteCast: Indiana voters sour on state of nation

Voters in Indiana 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 45% of Indiana voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 55% 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 127,000 voters and nonvoters -- including 2,364 voters and 572 nonvoters in Indiana -- conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

TRUMP VS BIDEN

In the race for president, Biden was neck and neck with Trump among voters under 45 while older voters were more likely to favor Trump.

Trump was preferred among voters without a college degree but Biden and Trump were roughly even among college-educated voters.

Voters in cities were more likely to support Biden over Trump. Voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to prefer Trump. Trump was roughly even with Biden among suburban voters.

RACE FOR GOVERNOR

In the race for governor, Eric Holcomb had an apparent advantage over Woodrow 'Woody' Myers among voters under 45. Older voters were more likely to support Holcomb over Myers.

Holcomb was preferred over Myers among both voters without a college degree and college-educated voters.

Both suburban voters and voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to favor Holcomb over Myers. Voters in cities were split between Myers and Holcomb.

FACING THE PANDEMIC

The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 19% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 32% said it’s somewhat under control. Forty-eight 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 Indiana. Thirty-eight percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.

Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 29% saying it ranked at the top.

Eleven percent named health care, 7% named racism and 4% named law enforcement.

NATIONAL ECONOMY

Voters were slightly negative in their assessments of the nation's economy. Overall, 47% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 53% called them not so good or poor.

STAYING AT HOME

Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Indiana, 29% said that was because they don't like politics generally, 20% said they don't like the candidates and 15% said their vote doesn't matter.

In Indiana, 65% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 84% 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 2,364 voters in Indiana 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 2.4 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/election2020