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Inflation, jobs, and political adversity are top motivating issues
LANSING, Mich. – Three weeks to go in the general election, and two-thirds of Michigan voters continue to believe the country is on the wrong track. The MRG commissioned Michigan Poll®, conducted October 7th –11th, shows 66% of Michigan voters believe the country is on the wrong track with only 24% believing the country is headed in the right direction.
A total of 83% of City of Detroit voters believe the country is on the wrong track, with 51% of Oakland County voters believing the same. In West Michigan, there was nearly a 10% increase in voters believing that the country is on the wrong track, with a jump from 61% in Spring 2024 to 70% in Fall 2024.
Independents and Republicans remain very negative in their views of the direction of the country, with a respective 70% and 91% believing the country is on the wrong track.
Respondents age 65+ were the most optimistic age group with 39% saying the country is headed in the right direction, and 53% saying the country is on the wrong track.
“Voter’s perception of the direction of the country could have a heavy impact in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election,” said Jenell Leonard, owner of MRG. “In this battleground state, key demographics and areas of Michigan – including the City of Detroit, black voters, and urban areas – continue to grow weary of the current state of affairs and could likely take their frustration out at the ballot box.”
Direction of the State Still Remains Neutral
Looking generally at Michigan, 47% believe the state is on the wrong track, compared to the 43% who believe the state is headed in the right direction. These numbers are just one point different compared to the same survey conducted in the spring of 2024.
Biden’s Job Approval Wallows
President Biden’s job approval ratings are statistically the same from MRG’s Michigan Spring Poll with 57% of respondents disapproving of his performance and only 37% think he’s doing a good job. This consistent numerical trend can be attributed to the perceptive lack of progress made on important issues this calendar year coupled with the everlasting federal stalemate in Washington D.C.
The president maintains a majority of support from African Americans where 53% approve of the president’s job, along with 69% of liberal voters.
A significant block of dissatisfaction comes from the Union vote where the majority - 52% - disapprove of Biden’s performance and only 41% give the president a positive approval. The president holds the support of 76% of his democrat voting base but only 27% of Independent voters approve of the president’s job. Ninety-seven percent of Republicans disapprove.
President’s Personal Approval Remains Stale
The president’s personal approval ratings tick down one percentage point from six months ago with only 32% sharing a positive feeling towards him. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats give Biden a favorable personal rating and moderates are split at 42% approval and 42% disapproval.
“The dynamics of the presidential race have changed significantly over the past six months, but that has not affected voters’ approval or perception of President Biden,” said Leonard. “These numbers could significantly impact the results of the general election if the current Vice President isn’t able to separate herself from Biden in these last three weeks. Voters will likely view Harris as more of the same which voters clearly do not support.”
Whitmer Job Approval Holds Steady
Governor Whitmer’s job approvals have enjoyed a slight uptick of one percentage point since the Spring. Today, 54% of voters approve of her job performance with 39% disapproving. Her biggest support comes from Democrats (95%), moderates (68%), and women (61%). Across the state, the governor enjoys a 78% approval from those living in Detroit, 64% from those living in Oakland County, and 63% of those in Macomb.
Those who disapprove of her job performance also increased by a percentage point with 39% disapproving. The governor’s biggest opposition comes from Republicans (75%), Conservatives (69%), and men (47%). Geographically, the governor receives her lowest job approval ratings from those living in Northern Lower Michigan (56%), the Upper Peninsula (53%), and West Michigan (48%).
Whitmer’s Personal Ratings See Minor Increase
Up two percentage points from April, the Governor’s personal feelings have increased to 48% compared to 40% who share a negative feeling towards her.
"The Governor remains popular in the way she’s handled the state and her ability to connect with voters,” said Leonard. “The Vice President would be smart to leverage Whitmer’s favorability to shore up support in the key populated corners of the state.”
Top Issues
The top three concerns have remained the same over the past six months: economy and jobs, higher prices/inflation, and politicians and government. Economy and job emerged as the top issue of concern for Michigan voters with a collective 44%, followed by higher prices/inflation at 36%, and politicians/government rounding out the top three at 17%.
“Voters continue to feel the pain at the pump and at the grocery stores and will likely vote on those issues in the coming weeks,” said Leonard. “The political campaigns continue to highlight abortion (which ranks fourth) and immigration issues (which ranked seventh) rather than focusing on the issues that are on the top of voters’ minds. The candidates who start to resonate with voters on these top three issues will likely win the election in Michigan.”
The results and the wording of the questions asked by MRG follow.
Q. Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?
Q. And, thinking about things in Michigan . . . do you feel things in the State of Michigan are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?
Q. What are the most important issues facing the state of Michigan at this time? That is, the one or two you personally are most worried about? (please choose category that is closest to the answer given and record the verbatim response).
Q. Now, I'm going to read you the names of people that have been in the news, and I'd like you to rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative. If you don't know the name, please just say so.
Q. In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job President Biden is doing as president? [IF APPROVE / DISAPPROVE, ASK:] Would that be strongly (approve / disapprove) or just somewhat (approve / disapprove)?
Q. In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job Governor Whitmer is doing as governor? [IF APPROVE / DISAPPROVE, ASK:] Would that be strongly (approve / disapprove) or just somewhat (approve / disapprove)?
MRG Michigan Poll® Fall 2024
The survey of 600 likely Michigan voters was conducted by live phone interview from October 7 to October 11, 2024. The sample was randomly drawn from a listed sample of all registered voters with a history of voting and stratified by city and township to reflect voter turnout. Quotas for gender and cell phone interviews were met within each geographic area, and extra efforts were made to reach African Americans. Some columns or results may not add up to 100% because of rounding. Individual rounding may impact final totals. This survey yields a sampling margin of error of ±4 percent with a 96 percent confidence interval. The sampling margin of error for subgroups may be higher depending on the size of the subgroup.
About Marketing Resource Group (MRG)
Lansing, Michigan-based Marketing Resource Group (www.mrgmi.com) is an award-winning PR firm representing corporate, association, nonprofit, and private clients with interests in Michigan. MRG offers expertise in public affairs, communications, political campaign management, and public opinion survey research. For more than thirty years, MRG has conducted its bi-annual omnibus Michigan Poll®, tracking the pulse of Michigan voters on key statewide public policy and political issues. MRG is the only Michigan public opinion survey research firm that maintains nearly 40 years of trend analyses of voter attitudes related to state and national leaders, political parties, and the political and economic climate in Michigan. Follow MRG on X @mrgmichigan and on Facebook.
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