Voters Rank Rebuilding Economy as Top Concern Over COVID-19 Handling: Exit Poll

The economy was a top concern for most voters compared to battling COVID-19, according to a nationwide CNN exit poll.

The exit poll found that 34 percent of people rated the U.S. economy's recovery as the biggest issue faced by the country.

It was followed by other pressing issues like racial inequality at 21 percent and COVID-19 at 18 percent, according to the New York Post.

Some 11 percent of those who participated in the exit poll also found both crime and health care as concerning issues.

Even though COVID-19 was placed lower in the poll, some 52 percent of respondents still think rebuilding the economy is a less important issue to address, at only 42 percent.

The exit polls were conducted by CNN this year, incorporating both in-person interviews at polling places and telephone polls to talk to mail-in voters.

Some Voters Think They Were Better Off Economically

There was a fairly even split on whether the country's economy was doing well. But more than half of the respondents still think the pandemic caused them some form of financial struggle.

Only four out of 10 think they were better off financially than they were four years ago. Then, two out of 10 think they had done worse over the said timeframe.

Only 38 percent thought they were "about the same" when it came to economic standing as they did before.

Choosing Economy Over Battling COVID-19

According to the national Edison Research poll results, only two out of 10 voters think COVID-19 mattered most to their candidate of choice.

Meanwhile, half of the voters think it is important to manage the virus first even if it hurts the country's economy, reported Reuters.

Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump has made reopening the economy a key piece of his accomplishments.

But his rival, former vice president Joe Biden thinks Trump does not deserve another term in the White House because of how he handled the pandemic.

The economy became a cornerstone piece for Trump's entire reelection campaign. Back then, initial polls were working in Trump's favor.

Trump earlier warned that if Biden won the Tuesday elections, the country would sink deep into depression. The economy was a big problem for the country, especially early into the pandemic.

In April, the U.S. suffered the steepest loss of jobs as non-essential businesses were forced to close down, and residents were told to stay at home to contain the virus.

Employers have already rehired millions of workers since, but there are still 10.7 million jobs lost since February.

The country's 7.9 percent unemployment rate ahead of the presidential election was the highest since the government tracked it in 1948.

While Trump focused on keeping the country economically afloat, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reached 9.4 million. On top of this, 230,000 deaths linked to the virus occurred.

According to the early exit polls, college-educated voters only made up a little less than half of the 2020 electorate.

White voters made up two out of three of these voters, which is slightly lower than the 71 percent that cast votes in 2016.