New AARP Poll: Presidential Race a Toss-Up in Georgia

ATLANTA—Today, AARP Georgia released a 2024 statewide election survey, revealing that candidates for president and state races should pay close attention to Georgians ages 50 and older. Georgia residents ages 50 and older make up an outsized portion of the electorate: in the 2020 elections, older voters accounted for 51% of all Georgia voters and in the 2022 mid-terms, they made up 58% of the state’s voters. Eighty-eight percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, with 70% of voters ages 18-49 saying the same.

Former President Donald Trump (R) leads Vice President Kamala Harris (D) among voters overall, 46% - 44%, with 7% of voters supporting a third-party candidate. The candidates are tied at 48% on the head-to-head ballot. Among voters ages 50 and older, Trump holds an 8-point lead over Harris on both the full ballot and in a head-to-head matchup. Among men ages 50 and older, Trump is winning by 17 points, while he leads Harris by 2 points among women 50 and older.

Candidates who want to win over older voters ought to pay attention to the issues that matter most to this group. Eighty-three percent of voters ages 50 and older report that candidates’ positions on Social Security are very important in deciding whom to vote for in November, followed by Medicare (75%), helping people stay in their homes as they age (74%), and the cost of utilities (73%). And the vast majority (84%) of older Georgians prefer a member of Congress who wants Medicare to continue negotiating for lower prescription drug prices.

While the Presidential race is very close overall, there are some major demographic differences. Black voters overall favor Harris over Trump by 70 points; Harris’s lead increases among older Black voters: voters 65 and older prefer Harris by 88 points, while voters ages 50-64 prefer Harris by 77 points. White voters favor Trump by 38 points, and Trump’s lead also widens among older white voters; voters 65 and older favor Trump by 58 points, compared to voters ages 50-64 who support Trump over Harris by 47 points.

“Georgia voters over age 50 are the biggest voting bloc and could tip the scale for any candidate in this election,” said Vanessa J. Payne, State Director, AARP Georgia. “If candidates want to win, they should pay attention to the issues that matter to voters over age 50, from protecting Social Security to supporting family caregivers.”

Other key takeaways from the poll among voters 50 and older include:

• Over half (56%) say Social Security is or will be a major source of their income, and 92% would be more likely to vote for a candidate who advocates for making sure workers get the Social Security they have paid into and earned.
• Immigration and border security (35%) are the most important issues when deciding who to vote for in November, followed by inflation and rising prices (31%), and the economy and jobs (23%).
• Sixty-one percent cite personal economic issues – inflation and rising prices, the economy and jobs, and Social Security – as most important.
• Thirty-seven percent of Democrats ages 50 and older, 37% of women ages 50 and older and 38% of voters ages 50-64 identify as caregivers.
• Ninety percent of caregivers over 50 say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, and among this group the Presidential race is nearly tied: Trump leads Harris by 3 points on the full ballot and just 1 point in a head-to-head matchup.
• Seventy-one percent of voters ages 50 and older support expanding Medicaid coverage to Georgia residents earning under $21,000 annually.
• A vast majority (81%) support the creation of a retirement savings program for the more than two million workers in Georgia who don’t have access to a retirement savings account at work.

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Georgia. The firms interviewed 1,254 likely voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 600 likely voters, an oversample of 494 likely voters ages 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 160 Black likely voters ages 50 and older. The survey was done between July 24-31, 2024. The interviews were conducted via live interviewer on landline (25%) and cellphone (35%), as well as SMS-to-web (40%). The sample was randomly drawn from the Georgia voter list. The margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level for the 600 statewide sample is ±4.0%; for the 800 total sample of voters 50+ is ±3.5%; for the 400 total sample of Black voters 50+ is ±4.9%

View the full survey results at aarp.org/GApolling and find all of our state battleground polls at aarp.org/voterpolls24.

For more information on how, when, and where to vote in Georgia, visit aarp.org/GAvotes.

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About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.