Do polls show immigration or the economy as the most important issue for 2026 voters?
Executive summary
Multiple national polls taken entering 2026 show the economy-and-immigration">economy — broadly framed as prices, inflation, jobs and personal finances — consistently emerging as the single most important issue for voters, even as immigration remains highly salient and politically potent in certain constituencies and news cycles [1] [2] [3].
1. Why the question matters: competing salience vs. single-issue urgency
Polling firms measure “most important issue” in different ways — open-ended lists, forced-choice top-three, and single-most-important prompts — and those methodological differences help explain why some surveys show immigration higher than others; an open-ended AP‑NORC item found about seven in ten Americans mentioned an economic issue for 2026 and 43% cited personal finances while immigration was mentioned by 44% [2], whereas Quinnipiac’s forced single‑choice item put the economy and preserving democracy at 24% each and immigration at 18% [3].
2. The balance of evidence: economy generally tops immigration in aggregate polling
Across recent national polls, economic concerns dominate or tie for the top spot: a January poll by G. Elliott Morris reported prices/inflation as the top three issue for 53% of voters and jobs/economy at 39%, with Democratic advantage on who voters trust on these topics [1]; Fox News’ early 2026 poll likewise found the economy “dominates” respondents’ priorities [4]; and multiple outlets report that large majorities want administration attention focused on lowering prices rather than other priorities [5]. These findings align with AP‑NORC’s broad listing that economic issues were the most frequently cited agenda item going into 2026 [2].
3. Where immigration is strongest: partisan, local, and event-driven spikes
Immigration remains a top-tier issue, especially among Republicans, voters in certain battleground districts, and in the wake of high-profile enforcement actions: Quinnipiac shows 36% of Republicans saying immigration is the most urgent issue (versus 10% of Democrats) [3], Navigator found immigration and inflation both top concerns for voters who backed Republican congressional candidates [6], and Reuters/Ipsos and NPR/Marist polls reveal that public attention to ICE enforcement and related incidents drove spikes in concern and disapproval of tactics even as overall priority rankings still favored economic relief [7] [5]. Rasmussen and the New York Times coverage emphasize that Republicans broadly still view aggressive enforcement favorably, which amplifies immigration’s political weight within the GOP even if it doesn’t eclipse the economy nationally [8] [9].
4. Nuance matters: approval vs. priority and the “how” question
Polls also separate whether voters approve of policy execution from whether they see an issue as the top priority. For example, Reuters/Ipsos and Ipsos reporting show many Americans think ICE has “gone too far” even as a plurality still prefers stronger border security in principle [7] [10]. Simultaneously, voters who list the economy as the top problem often trust Democrats more to handle affordability, creating electoral pressure that elevates economic messaging above immigration for many swing voters [1] [4].
5. Bottom line: who wins on “most important” for 2026 voters?
Synthesis of the available polls indicates the economy is the most important issue for the average 2026 voter in national samples, with immigration a close second in salience and the leading issue within Republican voters and some battleground subgroups — and recent enforcement controversies have raised immigration’s profile without displacing economic concerns as the overarching priority [1] [2] [3] [7]. Sources vary by question wording and sample, and that variance explains much of the divergence in headlines: when polls ask unprompted priorities or top-three lists economic issues are dominant, while partisan or event-driven surveys can elevate immigration into contention [2] [6] [5].