Research

September Current Events Survey

September 18, 2026

In September 2026, Galvanize Action surveyed ideologically moderate women to see how they were feeling about current events.

QUESTION #1
Which of the following best describes your current financial situation?

Grouped bar chart titled "Current Finances x Time," showing responses to "Which of the following best describes your current financial situation?" for January, May, and September. Five response categories are shown: "I can't cover basic expenses and am in a financial crisis" (12%, 16%, 18%), "I'm falling behind or relying on credit" (9%, 14%, 11%), "I can cover basic expenses but can't save" (37%, 42%, 37%), "I'm living comfortably and saving a little" (33%, 24%, 26%), and "I'm financially secure, saving easily, and can afford extras" (9%, 4%, 8%). Details in table below.

I can’t cover basic expenses and am in a financial crisis	18%
I’m falling behind or relying on credit	11%
I can cover basic expenses but can’t save	37%
I’m living comfortably and saving a little	26%
I’m financially secure, saving easily, and can afford extras	8%

Results show that women in Galvanize Action’s audience primarily report that they are able to cover basic expenses but unable to save money, or that they are living comfortably and able to save a little. However, we also see that, compared to previous months, more women in our audience report being in financial crisis (12% in January and 16% in May, compared to 18% in September). Please note, each survey represents a different sample of moderate white women.

QUESTION #2
Compared to the beginning of this year, how would you describe your current financial situation?

Grouped bar chart titled "Finances Compared to Beginning of Year x Time," showing responses to "Compared to the beginning of this year, how would you describe your current financial situation?" for May and September. Five response categories are shown: "Much worse" (16%, 16%), "Somewhat worse" (32%, 30%), "About the same" (42%, 42%), "Somewhat better" (7%, 10%), and "Much better" (2%, 2%). Details in table below.

Much worse	16%
Somewhat worse	30%
About the same	42%
Somewhat better	10%
Much better	2%

Galvanize Action also asked respondents how they would compare their financial situation to their situation at the beginning of the year. We previously asked this question in our Mid-Year Survey. Results remain consistent for the most part, showing that a plurality (42%) of respondents say their situation has remained about the same, and nearly half (46% this time, 48% in May) say their finances have either gotten somewhat worse or much worse.

QUESTION #3
Thinking about the upcoming midterm elections in November, how confident are you that votes nationwide will be counted as voters intend?

Grouped bar chart titled "Midterm Vote Count Confidence x Time," showing responses to "Thinking about the upcoming midterm elections in November, how confident are you that votes nationwide will be counted as voters intend?" for March and September. Five response categories are shown: "Very confident" (20%, 19%), "Somewhat confident" (35%, 36%), "Not too confident" (26%, 25%), "Not at all confident" (9%, 10%), and "Don't know/Not sure" (10%, 10%). Details in table below.

Very confident	19%
Somewhat confident	36%
Not too confident	25%
Not at all confident	10%
Don’t know/Not sure	10%

Galvanize Action previously asked this question in March. Results in September remain consistent with previous findings, showing that slightly more than half (55%) of women in our audience say they are confident that votes in the midterm elections will be counted accurately, though a plurality say they are just somewhat confident, not very confident. Thirty-five percent of women surveyed say they are not confident that votes will be counted accurately. Additionally, 10% say they aren’t sure.

QUESTION #4
How much trust do you have in voting by mail-in ballot when it comes to ensuring free, fair, and secure elections?

Bar chart titled "How much trust do you have in voting by mail-in ballot when it comes to ensuring free, fair, and secure elections?" Five response categories are shown: "A great deal" (18%), "A fair amount" (24%), "Just a little" (24%), "None at all" (23%), and "Don't know/Not sure" (11%). Details in table below.

A great deal	18%
A fair amount	24%
Just a little	24%
None at all	23%
Don’t know/Not sure	11%

Responses here are relatively split, with just under a quarter (24%) each saying they either have “a fair amount” of trust, or “just a little” trust that mail-in voting ensures free, fair, and secure elections. More women say they have no trust at all (23%) than say they have a great deal of trust (18%). Similar to above, 11% of respondents say they are not sure. Compared to above, where only 10% say they have no confidence that votes will be counted correctly, over twice that many respondents (23%) said they have no trust in mail-in ballots, which indicates that a large percentage of this audience (47%) lacks confidence in mail-in voting in particular.

QUESTION #5
Which of the following best describes your plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?

Bar chart titled "Which of the following best describes your plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?" Four response categories are shown: "I plan to vote Democrat" (34%), "I plan to vote Republican" (28%), "I plan to vote, but I'm not sure yet how I'll vote" (21%), and "I do not plan to vote" (17%). Details in table below.

I plan to vote Democrat	34%
I plan to vote Republican	28%
I plan to vote, but I’m not sure yet how I’ll vote	21%
I do not plan to vote	17%

Grouped bar chart titled "Midterm Vote Choice x Time," showing plan-to-vote responses for January, April, May, June, July, August, and September. "I plan to vote Democrat" (36%, 35%, 34%, 34%, 32%, 37%, 34%); "I plan to vote Republican" (26%, 28%, 24%, 25%, 28%, 31%, 28%); "I plan to vote, but I'm not sure yet how I'll vote" (26%, 22%, 25%, 23%, 21%, 20%, 21%); "I do not plan to vote" (13%, 15%, 16%, 18%, 19%, 11%, 17%). Details in table below.

More women surveyed say they plan to vote Democrat (34%) than Republican (28%), consistent with previous surveys (different samples). This month, 17% of respondents said that they do not plan to vote, in line with prior findings, indicating the August survey was an outlier.

QUESTION #6
How do you plan to cast your vote in the November election?
Among the 485 respondents who said they do plan to vote in question five.

Bar chart titled "Which of the following best describes your plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections?" Four response categories are shown: "In person at a polling place BEFORE Election Day" (22%), "In person at a polling place ON Election Day" (45%), "By absentee or mail-in ballot" (25%), and "Not sure yet" (7%). Details in table below.

In person at a polling place BEFORE Election Day	22%
In person at a polling place ON Election Day	45%
By absentee or mail-in ballot	25%
Not sure yet	7%

Galvanize Action asked respondents who indicated that they did plan to vote how they plan to cast their vote. Of those respondents (n=485), we see that the majority (67%) plan to vote in person at the polls.