Arizona Voters Split on Top Voting Issues, According to Resonate

Republican and Swing Voters Rank Government Spending Highest, While Democratic Voters Prioritize Healthcare

September 04, 2014 08:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time

RESTON, Va. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Resonate, the only company that empowers political campaigns and issue advocacy organizations to act on why people make decisions, today released new insights on the voting patterns and key issues for Arizonans this election season. Government spending is the top issue for Swing voters, with 48 percent citing it as a key issue when evaluating a candidate’s platform. Immigration is close behind with 45 percent, just edging out job creation with 44 percent. Swing voters, those who cast votes across party lines, make up 26 percent of Arizona’s voters. Republican voters are 35 percent of the state’s registered voters, while 28 percent vote Democrat, and 10 percent other.

“Arizona illustrates the need to understand voting behavior and the issues people care about most. The state voter file says that 32 percent of Arizona voters are registered Democrats. But Resonate’s survey data shows that only 28 percent report consistent Democratic voting patterns”

Two of the top three platform issues that matter to Swing voters are also in the top three for Republican voters. For the Republican voters, 58 percent look at a candidate’s position on government spending, 57 percent balanced budget, and 50 percent immigration policies. On the other end of the spectrum, 52 percent of Democratic voters evaluate healthcare positions, 48 percent social issues, and 44 percent job creation.

“Arizona illustrates the need to understand voting behavior and the issues people care about most. The state voter file says that 32 percent of Arizona voters are registered Democrats. But Resonate’s survey data shows that only 28 percent report consistent Democratic voting patterns, ” said Bryan Gernert, Resonate CEO. “It’s not surprising to see immigration as a key issue for Arizona voters. But when we drill down to Arizona’s 9th Congressional District, for instance, immigration policy isn’t an issue that influences many voters. An immigration message won’t have a material impact in this district.”

Resonate found that voters in AZ-9 have a higher concentration of Democrat voters (35%) and Swing (27%). Republican voters make up just 28 percent of the electorate. We also found that immigration fell out of the top 3 platform issues among all voters. For Republican voters, 41 percent consider defense/military platforms and 43 percent of swing voters instead evaluate healthcare policies. Social issues are less important to Democratic voters in the AZ-9, where 39 percent consider a candidate’s education policies.

To learn more about the views and voting patterns of Arizona voters, please visit: blog.resonateinsights.com/arizona-voters

About Resonate:

Resonate is the only company to empower brand, political and cause marketers to identify and engage with audiences based on the reasons behind people’s actions. Combining the latest big data technologies with proven research and analytic techniques, Resonate powers motivation-based analytics and targeting across all digital media channels. The ability to deliver advertising based on an individual’s social and personal values and product purchase preferences, goes beyond simple demographics to achieve greater engagement, campaign results and customer insight. For more information visit https://www.resonateinsights.com.