This is The 19th’s fifth annual poll gauging attitudes on the issues impacting women and LGBTQ+ people. We have a new partner in YouGov, and we have fascinating new questions on feminism, reproductive issues, immigration, affordability and many of the other biggest issues that are shaping our politics right now. We also oversampled Gen Z, trying to understand where the youngest voters are now.
Among our findings: Americans are worried about their ability to afford major necessities, women are more worried than men, and people trust the Democrats more on these issues. Half of Americans say there is a lot of discrimination against trans people today. Gen Z women are more supportive of abortion rights than Gen Z men. And the majority of Americans say the federal government should increase spending on childcare.
More on our annual poll: Results | Methodology
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Affordability
High prices and the cost of living are top issues for the voters who will decide the midterm elections in November. And women are more worried than men about paying for necessities in every category, from groceries and housing to healthcare and retirement, our polling shows.
LGBTQ+ issues
Nearly half of U.S. adults say they’re more likely to vote for a candidate who supports banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams, according to our polling — a position embraced by most Republican candidates and an increasing share of Democrats as November’s midterms draw closer.
Immigration
More than two-thirds of Americans say that immigrants who are pregnant, nursing or have recently given birth should generally not be held in immigration detention, our polling shows.
The Gen Z gender gap
According to our polling, the youngest voters have been shaped by an end to a federal right to abortion, the #MeToo movement and social media algorithms.
This 19th News “State of Our Nation” poll was conducted online by YouGov, which selected respondents from their opt-in panel. It was conducted from September 18 to 24, 2026, with 2,357 adults, including an oversampling of 18- to 29-year-olds. Results were weighted for gender, age, race, education, U.S. region, 2024 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. The margin of error for the overall sample is ± 2.5 points.
