What we heard surveying and listening to Wisconsin voters: Substance and civility matter, the people and their politicians have major disconnects

The election is over, but not the issues voters care most about. The Wisconsin Main Street Agenda project posed a simple question ahead of the midterm election, “What do you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for your vote?”

Here is what you told us in 2,323 survey responses. This report is not intended to close the conversation about the election, but to continue the lively discussion we started and track how the officials we just sent (or returned) to Madison and Washington are addressing those issues.

The top five issues ranked as “most concerning” include the future of our democracy, 43%; Climate change, 14%; Economy/inflation, 11%; Abortion, 9%; Gun policies, 4%.

The economy and inflation were presented as separate choices on the survey but we combined the two to create a composite (the economy was selected as the top issue by 7% of respondents, inflation by 4%). Given how closely the two issues are related, the combo is a better way to gauge the weight of pocketbook issues, which were frequent subjects of discussion at our five town hall meetings this fall.

More:As the midterms approach, six Wisconsin voters worry about partisanship, the economy and our state's future

The survey is not a scientific poll, and its results cannot be generalized to the entire population of Wisconsin, but the responses do provide a snapshot of what was on the mind of voters during the survey period from June 28 to Nov. 8. The project is a collaboration of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin papers), Wisconsin Public Radio and the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A few more statistics: About 57% of respondents identified as Democrats, 30% as independents, and 11% as Republicans; 82% as white, 4% Black, 11% didn’t answer, 2% Latino, and 1% Asian and Native American.

Concerns about democracy was a consistent theme for the duration of survey

People ranked issues differently based on their political identification. Climate change ranked high among Democrats and independents, but not at all for Republicans. Similarly, few Democrats ranked the economy and inflation as their top concern, but a substantial portion of Republicans and many independents did.

The future of our democracy was consistently ranked the top concern by Democrats (47%), independents (43%), and Republicans (24%). The reasons for concern were numerous, but in the hundreds of comments left by survey takers, a few themes were frequently cited:

▶ “If our democracy fails, we will not have a voice in what matters to us. … bipartisanship is a thing of the past, and we can no longer have civil conversations with each other when it comes to politics. We are a country deeply divided, and I'm not sure how this will be healed.” – Glenda, Democrat from Marshfield.

▶ “The future of democracy in America is the No. 1 issue facing voters. Nothing else matters if citizens cannot trust the integrity of elections. As a volunteer election worker in northeast Wisconsin, I know our elections are fair and safe.” – Diane, Republican from Green Bay.

▶“Democracy is in real danger if candidates can overturn election results if they don't like the way they turned out.” – Larry, independent from Wauwatosa.

Issues that mattered to survey takers often were underplayed on the campaign trail

Climate change came in second as the issue most concerning to voters. It is a safe bet that its overall ranking would have fallen if more Republicans had taken the survey. Still, it is worth noting that independents, who play an outsized role in razor thin Wisconsin elections, also ranked it high. And the La Follette Policy Poll, a scientific survey of Wisconsin voters, found last year that a large number of conservatives worried about climate change and wanted something done about it.

Despite this interest, the campaigns in the midterms focused little on climate or the environment. Perhaps that is due to its complexity, but voters recognized its connection to other issues:

▶ “Climate change is a driving factor in many of the other concerns listed: immigration, food insecurity, health. As the environment degrades, we will see increases in homelessness, which further fractures family and community ties. All of the issues are of utmost concern, and all are related in one way or another. – Mary, independent from Cedarburg.

Abortion was a rare issue that ranked high among voters and was discussed at length by candidates. But that was an exception. In their survey responses and at our town halls, residents frequently lamented the incivility and unsubstantial nature of campaigns.

There was another large disconnect over crime and immigration. In the survey, 4% cited crime as a major concern and less than 1% immigration. As anyone who turned on the TV or was served an ad on a digital device can attest, both topics dominated the airwaves.

Coming next: We shift from “what we heard” to “what we learned” over the coming weeks as Main Street Agenda town hall participants and collaborators reflect on their experiences and what comes next.

Contact Jim Fitzhenry at (920) 993-7154 or jfitzhen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JimFitzhenry, Instagram at @jimfitzhenry or LinkedIn. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What we heard listening to voters in Wisconsin's midterm election.