With just weeks left until the midterm elections, AARP has just released poll results from the latest in our She’s the Difference research series conducted in partnership with pollsters Celinda Lake, Christine Matthews, Kristen Soltis Anderson, and Margie Omero.

In short, women 50+ – the biggest bloc of swing voters – are energized to vote in November, but half are still undecided. They’re focused on a host of issues reflecting fears about economic instability and political discord, and they’re frustrated that politicians and candidates are out of touch.

But these women aren’t a monolith. There are significant differences in their priorities and concerns when we look at age, party affiliation, and race – with one notable exception: women 50+ are unified about protecting Social Security from cuts, with three-quarters saying this would personally help them a lot. 

You can read the full report here. Below are some additional highlights:

More than 80% of women voters age 50+ rate their motivation to vote at a 10 on a 0-10 scale. However, half (51%) say they have still not decided which candidates to support.

• Latinas and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women voters 50+ are more likely to still be weighing their options, with nearly 8 in 10 (77%) Latinas and 7 in 10 (68%) AAPI women saying they have not yet made up their minds.

 Women voters age 50+ are intensely concerned about a broad range of issues, but there are significant differences by party. Overall, the top issues are threats to democracy and voting rights, followed by inflation and rising prices, division in the country, and Social Security and Medicare. 

• The top issues for Republican women voters 50+ are inflation and rising prices (60%), crime (51%), immigration (49%), and election security (49%).
• Democratic women voters 50+ say voting rights (63%) and threats to democracy (62%) are their top concerns, followed by gun violence (54%) and abortion (54%).
• Independent women voters 50+ rank division in the country (46%), voting rights (43%), threats to democracy (42%), and inflation and rising prices (41%) as their biggest concerns.

 Women voters age 50+ are split on how well the economy is working for them personally, and around a third are less financially secure than they expected to be at this point in their lives. 

• Two-thirds (66%) report cutting down on non-essential purchases.
• 4 in 10 (41%) have cut back on essentials.
• 4 in 10 (40%) are saving less as a way to handle increased costs of living.

In terms of actions that would help them personally, 75% said protecting Social Security from cuts would help them a lot – more than lowering the cost of food (66%), gas (58%), or healthcare (57%).   

The opinions of these women matter. They will turn out to vote, making a difference and deciding the balances of power in Congress and statehouses across the country. As I’ve said before – and will continue to say – America’s politicians ignore them at their peril.