2026 Mid-Year Survey
This survey serves as a pulse check to explore how ideologically-moderate white women feel about relevant topics like the economy and artificial intelligence, as well as an update to many questions asked in Galvanize Action’s previous Start of Year Survey in January.
Key Findings
- The economy remains the top issue for ideologically-moderate white women, and we see evidence that financial strain is getting more intense, concern about affordability is high, and blame for the current state of the economy is largely focused on President Trump.
- Women in this audience report feeling more concerned than excited about artificial intelligence, and while many have only heard a little about data centers, they express concern about the impact on things like the environment and utility costs.
- Approval ratings for Trump on many issues, notably including the economy and foreign affairs, have dropped.
- We see evidence of desensitization to the actions of the government.
Issue Ranking
Galvanize Action presented respondents with a list of issues and asked them to rank each one from 1 (most important) to 10 (least important).
Consistent with when we last asked in January, a plurality of women surveyed ranked “economy” as #1, and a majority ranked it somewhere in their top 5. Also consistent with our January survey, while “preserving democracy” has the second highest percentage ranked #1, a majority of respondents actually rank it somewhere between 6 and 10.
The most notable shifts between January and May were slight increases in importance for climate and foreign affairs, and a decrease in importance for abortion.
In the figure below, red squares indicate that an issue has lost percentage points at that ranking, while blue squares indicate that an issue has gained percentage points at that ranking. Darker colors indicate greater change.
The Economy & Finances
The majority (83%) of women surveyed indicated that they would rate current economic conditions in the country as bad or terrible.
Overall, how would you rate economic conditions in this country today?
| Terrible | 31% |
| Bad | 52% |
| Good | 16% |
| Excellent | 1% |
When asked about their personal financial situations, responses indicate that finances are more strained now than they were at the start of the year. A plurality of women surveyed report that they are able to cover basic expenses but unable to save money, which is consistent overall with previous findings in January. However, notably fewer respondents say they are living comfortably and saving a little or saving easily and can afford extras, while more respondents now say they are falling behind or relying on credit or are in a financial crisis.
Because these findings are from two different samples of moderate white women, we also asked respondents how their current financial situation compares to the start of this year. While a plurality of women say their situations are about the same, we see that nearly half of respondents (49%) indicate their finances have gotten either somewhat worse or much worse.
The majority of women surveyed report that they are very or extremely concerned about day-to-day costs, such as gas and transportation and the prices of groceries and household goods. They also report high levels of concern toward expenses such as healthcare premiums and out-of-pocket costs, as well as utility bills such as gas, electricity, and water. Accordingly, the two categories with the highest rates of concern are also the two categories that the majority of respondents report having affected their families the most, as well as the two top responses when asked which they are the most worried about in regards to their personal finances. Increases in the prices of gas, groceries, and household goods are the areas that our audience are most concerned about.
Just over half (56%) of respondents say they think the war with Iran has contributed a great deal to rising prices, and nearly half of respondents say the same about US tariff policies (49%) and federal government spending (47%). Though they still think there has been an impact, fewer respondents think labor shortages due to immigration enforcement or artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers have had a significant impact on rising prices.
When asked to rate current economic conditions in the country, the majority said “bad” (52%) or “terrible” (31%). We later asked the “bad or terrible” subset of women who they give the most blame to for the current state of the economy. The majority of respondents said they blame Donald Trump. The next most frequent response was “no one in particular.”
Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers
When asked how they feel about the increased presence of artificial intelligence in daily life, a majority (56%) of respondents report feeling more concerned than excited, and only 14% say they feel more excited than concerned.
We asked respondents who have heard about data centers whether they think data centers are mostly good or bad for a variety of issues. The majority of respondents say they think data centers are mostly bad for home energy costs, the environment, and quality of life for people who live near them. Opinions are more mixed when it comes to local jobs and local tax revenue.
Respondents also report concern about the impact of data centers on many things such as water and electricity usage, costs, reliability, and pollution. The majority of respondents are at the very least moderately concerned about the impact of data centers on all issues presented.
These findings tell us that moderate white women are more concerned than excited about the increase in use of artificial intelligence in daily life, and while many women in our audience are not fully aware of data centers or their impact, those who do know about them are concerned about their impact on the environment and finances.
Opinions on Trump
Overall, we see that half (50%) of women surveyed say they strongly disapprove of President Trump when considering the past year. In comparison to when we asked this question previously to a different panel of respondents in January, approval ratings appear to have decreased slightly.
As another follow-up to January, we also asked participants to rate how they think Trump has been handling specific issues. The figure below shows the overall approval ratings (somewhat or strongly approve) from January and May. Approval for Trump on foreign affairs and economy decreased the most, with the war in Iran and its effects on gas prices being top of mind for our audience.
Democracy
Galvanize Action asked ideologically-moderate white women whether they agree or disagree that the federal government is taking actions that could interfere with the fairness of the elections. While just under half (47%) said they either somewhat or strongly agree, a plurality of respondents (37%) opted to remain neutral.
Red Lines
We presented respondents with a list of potential actions that could be taken by the federal government and asked them, regardless of their likelihood, which actions would make them feel the need to speak out, protest, or take other actions against them. Participants were allowed to select as many responses as they wanted. We also asked this question to three different samples of moderate white women in previous surveys conducted in March, August, and November of 2025, as well as in January of 2026.
A note on methodology:
In previous surveys, respondents could select both “I would not risk my safety. . .” or “I would not oppose any of these actions” and also select other options. This is no longer permitted, but may cause some variance between surveys.
Looking at responses over time, we are starting to see evidence of decline, with all responses showing lower selection rates, and a potential increase in lack of opposition to any of the actions presented. We also see further evidence that November of 2025 was an outlier, with the return to baseline for “I would not risk my safety to oppose any of these actions” remaining steady.
Candidate Traits
This survey also asked which three traits mattered most to this audience when making a voting decision for US House or Senate. Our January survey asked a similar question. In this iteration, we included options that could be categorized as stereotypically masculine or stereotypically feminine in order to analyze patterns based on perceptions of gender. Consistent with findings from January, we see that three of the most frequently selected responses are “honest and transparent,” “respects the rule of law,” and “keeps promises.” Also among the top responses is “cares about people like me.” All four of the top responses were included as “neutral” or not stereotypically gendered responses.
Midterm Vote Choice
This survey also asked participants how they plan to vote in the midterms. These findings remain consistent with January results, showing that, while more women surveyed say they plan to vote Democrat than Republican, a quarter say they are not sure yet how they’ll vote, and an additional 16% say they do not plan to vote in the midterms at all.
Questionnaire
QUESTION #1 | ISSUE RANKS
The following list of issues is presented alphabetically. Thinking about the issues our government could address, please rank the following from MOST important (1) to LEAST important (10):
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| Economy | 27% | 18% | 11% | 12% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 4% | 6% |
| Preserving democracy | 16% | 8% | 5% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 8% | 13% | 23% |
| Abortion | 11% | 5% | 8% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 13% | 22% |
| Crime | 10% | 15% | 14% | 12% | 12% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 6% | 5% |
| Climate | 9% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 11% | 11% | 6% | 8% | 13% | 12% |
| Immigration | 7% | 9% | 6% | 7% | 4% | 8% | 11% | 14% | 22% | 12% |
| Healthcare | 6% | 13% | 16% | 10% | 12% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 6% | 2% |
| Education | 5% | 6% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 7% | 5% |
| Gun violence | 4% | 9% | 10% | 12% | 14% | 14% | 16% | 11% | 7% | 2% |
| Foreign affairs/focus overseas | 4% | 6% | 8% | 10% | 11% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 11% | 10% |
QUESTION #2 | ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Overall, how would you rate economic conditions in this country today?
| Terrible | 31% |
| Bad | 52% |
| Good | 16% |
| Excellent | 1% |
QUESTION #3 | CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION
Which of the following best describes your current financial situation?
| January 2026 | May 2026 | |
| I can’t cover basic expenses and am in a financial crisis | 12% | 16% |
| I’m falling behind or relying on credit | 9% | 14% |
| I can cover basic expenses, but can’t save | 37% | 42% |
| I’m living comfortably and saving a little | 33% | 24% |
| I’m financially secure, saving easily, and can afford extras | 9% | 4% |
QUESTION #4 | FINANCIAL SITUATION COMPARED TO BEGINNING OF YEAR
Compared to the beginning of this year, how would you describe your current financial situation?
| Much worse | 16% |
| Somewhat worse | 32% |
| About the same | 42% |
| Somewhat better | 7% |
| Much better | 2% |
QUESTION #5 | AFFORDABILITY CONCERNS
How concerned, if at all, are you about the affordability of each of the following in your area?
| Not at all concerned | Not too concerned | Moderately concerned | Very concerned | Extremely concerned | |
| Gas and transportation costs | 3% | 6% | 19% | 34% | 38% |
| Grocery and household goods prices | 2% | 8% | 21% | 32% | 36% |
| Healthcare premiums or out-of-pocket costs | 4% | 11% | 28% | 32% | 25% |
| Utility bills (electricity, gas, water) | 3% | 12% | 29% | 31% | 25% |
| Housing costs (rent or home prices) | 7% | 14% | 31% | 27% | 21% |
| Childcare costs | 39% | 17% | 22% | 14% | 9% |
QUESTION #6 | EFFECTS OF RISING PRICES
Thinking about the past few months, how much, if at all, have rising costs in each of the following areas affected you or your family?
| Not at all | A little | Somewhat | A lot | A great deal | |
| Gas and transportation costs | 7% | 12% | 18% | 32% | 31% |
| Grocery and household goods prices | 5% | 12% | 21% | 32% | 30% |
| Utility bills (electricity, gas, water) | 9% | 20% | 27% | 25% | 19% |
| Healthcare premiums or out-of-pocket costs | 20% | 16% | 28% | 17% | 18% |
| Childcare costs | 68% | 7% | 12% | 8% | 6% |
| Housing costs (rent or home prices) | 31% | 13% | 27% | 15% | 14% |
QUESTION #7 | MOST WORRIED
Thinking about your personal finances, which 2 of the following are you most worried about right now?
| Grocery and household goods prices | 68% |
| Gas and transportation costs | 43% |
| Utility bills (electricity, gas, water) | 38% |
| Housing costs (rent or home prices) | 26% |
| Healthcare premiums or out-of-pocket costs | 18% |
| None of these | 3% |
| Childcare costs | 2% |
QUESTION #8 | CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO RISING PRICES
How much, if at all, do you think each of the following has contributed to rising prices in the United States?
| Don’t know | Not at all | Not very much | Somewhat | A great deal | |
| The war with Iran | 4% | 3% | 6% | 31% | 56% |
| Federal government spending | 3% | 2% | 11% | 37% | 47% |
| Corporate pricing decisions | 5% | 2% | 11% | 46% | 35% |
| U.S. tariff policies | 4% | 3% | 14% | 30% | 49% |
| Housing costs (rent or home prices) | 9% | 14% | 21% | 36% | 20% |
| Immigration enforcement and labor shortages | 13% | 11% | 25% | 34% | 17% |
QUESTION #9 | ECONOMY BLAME
Who do you give the most blame to for the current economic conditions?
| Respondents who said the current state of the economy is “bad” or “terrible” | |
| Donald Trump | 59% |
| No one in particular | 12% |
| Corporate greed / large companies | 9% |
| Joe Biden | 7% |
| Billionaires / the wealthy | 5% |
| Congress (Democrats) | 4% |
| Congress (Republicans) | 4% |
| Wall Street / big banks | 1% |
| Someone or something else | 0% |
QUESTION #10 | AI FEELINGS
Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is designed to learn tasks that humans typically do, for instance recognizing pictures or generating text.
Overall, would you say the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life makes you feel…
| More excited than concerned | 14% |
| Equally concerned and excited | 30% |
| More concerned than excited | 56% |
QUESTION #11 | AWARENESS OF DATA CENTERS
How much have you heard or read about data centers? By data centers, we mean buildings filled with computer equipment that powers streaming services, artificial intelligence (AI), online banking, and other things.
| Nothing at all | 22% |
| A little | 59% |
| A lot | 19% |
QUESTION #12 | OPINIONS ON DATA CENTERS
Do you think data centers are mostly good or bad for each of the following…
| Respondents who said they’ve heard “a little” or “a lot” about data centers | |||
| Mostly good | Neither good nor bad | Mostly bad | |
| Home energy costs | 8% | 24% | 68% |
| The environment | 10% | 22% | 68% |
| People’s quality of life near data centers | 10% | 26% | 64% |
| Local jobs | 31% | 28% | 40% |
| Local tax revenue | 30% | 33% | 37% |
QUESTION #13 | CONCERNS ABOUT DATA CENTERS
How concerned, if at all, would you say you are about the impact of data centers on each of the following?
| Respondents who said they’ve heard “a little” or “a lot” about data centers | |||||
| Extremely concerned | Very concerned | Moderately concerned | Not too concerned | Not at all concerned | |
| Water usage | 32% | 29% | 27% | 9% | 3% |
| Water supply availability (e.g. shortages or droughts) | 34% | 26% | 25% | 10% | 4% |
| Electricity usage | 32% | 28% | 29% | 8% | 3% |
| Electricity supply reliability (e.g. blackouts or grid strain) | 31% | 28% | 31% | 8% | 3% |
| Water costs | 32% | 26% | 30% | 9% | 4% |
| Water pollution | 28% | 28% | 28% | 12% | 4% |
| Electricity costs | 30% | 26% | 32% | 8% | 3% |
| Property values near data centers | 26% | 28% | 31% | 11% | 4% |
| Air pollution | 20% | 29% | 33% | 15% | 4% |
| Community or public health | 19% | 27% | 36% | 15% | 4% |
| Noise pollution | 21% | 25% | 32% | 17% | 5% |
| Your personal health / your family’s health | 20% | 21% | 34% | 21% | 4% |
| Light pollution | 15% | 26% | 32% | 22% | 6% |
QUESTION #14 | TRUMP APPROVAL
Thinking about the time since President Trump began his second term, as a whole, would you say you approve or disapprove of President Trump?
| January 2026 | May 2026 | |
| Strongly approve | 14% | 11% |
| Somewhat approve | 24% | 20% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 15% | 19% |
| Strongly disapprove | 47% | 50% |
QUESTION #15 | TRUMP APPROVAL ON SPECIFIC ISSUES
Now, thinking about specific issues since President Trump took office, do you approve or disapprove of the way President Trump is currently handling…
| January 2026 | May 2026 | |
| Foreign affairs / focus overseas | 40% | 29% |
| Economy | 38% | 27% |
| Crime | 46% | 36% |
| LGBT issues | 42% | 33% |
| DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) | 42% | 34% |
| Climate | 42% | 34% |
| Gun violence | 41% | 34% |
| Preserving democracy | 40% | 33% |
| Education | 42% | 36% |
| Abortion | 38% | 33% |
| Immigration | 40% | 37% |
| Healthcare | 35% | 32% |
QUESTION #16 | ELECTION INTERFERENCE
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The federal government is taking actions that could interfere with the fairness of the 2026 midterm elections.
| Strongly disagree | 7% |
| Somewhat disagree | 9% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 37% |
| Somewhat agree | 24% |
| Strongly agree | 23% |
QUESTION #17 | RED LINES
Whether or not you think they will actually happen, which of the following actions would you consider a “red line” if the federal government did them? In other words, if the government did these things, you would feel the need to do something about it? Please select all that apply.
| March 2025 | August 2025 | November 2025 | January 2026 | May 2026 | |
| Allows the military to use deadly force against peaceful protesters | 51% | 55% | 52% | 48% | 44% |
| Uses the justice system to jail political opponents without proof they did anything wrong | 48% | 50% | 47% | 45% | 41% |
| Refuses to abide by lawful court orders and takes unconstitutional actions | 46% | 48% | 49% | 47% | 41% |
| Passes a law taking away custody rights from transgender, lesbian, and gay parents and forcing their children to be taken from them | 46% | 43% | 45% | 41% | 37% |
| Passes a law banning abortion at the federal level | 0% | 41% | 36% | 36% | 34% |
| Takes away citizenship from children born in the U.S. to immigrant parents who came here illegally | 39% | 39% | 40% | 36% | 34% |
| Passes a law that forces people to report anyone who isn’t a citizen to the government | 39% | 39% | 37% | 37% | 33% |
| Uses federal agencies to stop media outlets from criticizing elected officials | 37% | 35% | 38% | 36% | 32% |
| I would not risk my safety or the safety of my loved ones to oppose any of these actions | 20% | 20% | 11% | 18% | 20% |
| I would not oppose any of these actions | 4% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 7% |
QUESTION #18 | CANDIDATE TRAITS
When you’re making your final voting decision for a candidate for U.S. House or U.S. Senate, which three of the following matter the most to you?
| Honest and transparent | 43% |
| Respects the rule of law | 36% |
| Cares about people like me | 30% |
| Keeps promises | 30% |
| Works with others to solve problems | 29% |
| Attentive to people’s needs | 21% |
| Effective at getting results | 21% |
| Uses good judgment under pressure | 19% |
| Stands up to powerful interests | 18% |
| Compassionate toward others | 14% |
| Emotionally intelligent | 11% |
| Strong or tough | 8% |
| Assertive and direct | 8% |
| Nurturing and supportive | 7% |
| Commands respect from foreign leaders | 7% |
QUESTION #19 | MIDTERM VOTE CHOICE
Which of the following best describes your plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?
| January 2026 | May 2026 | |
| I plan to vote Democrat | 36% | 34% |
| I plan to vote Republican | 26% | 24% |
| I plan to vote, but I’m not sure yet how I’ll vote | 26% | 25% |
| I do not plan to vote | 13% | 16% |
Methodology
- Audience: Ideologically-Moderate US White Women
- Sample size: 564
- Dates in field: May 21, 2026
