She's the Difference
Segments of Women Voters 50+
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Over the last several years, AARP has been following the opinions and perspectives of women voters 50 and older through a series of research projects. Despite the outsized influence women 50 and older often have on the outcome of elections, we have known this influential group of voters were not a monolith and have different voting patterns and social identities within this larger segment of the voter population.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation national survey of women voters found there is a partisan split among women voters ages 50 and older on their top voting issue, with older Republican women reporting immigration (36%) and inflation (37%) as their top issue, while older Democratic women say “threats to democracy” is the most important issue determining their vote. However, this survey also found that women age 50 and older are more likely than younger cohorts to say a candidates’ personal characteristics are more important than their stance on issues or their political party when deciding who gets their vote.
This year, we teamed up with Echelon Insights and GBAO to conduct a survey of likely 2024 women voters that was designed to disaggregate these women into segments and enable us to better understand this powerful group of voters, and perhaps more importantly, provide insights to elected officials—and those who want to be—on how to appeal to and potentially win political support from these women.
Note: Pictures used in this data story are stock images and are not actual photos of women in each voter segmentation.
Meet the Women Voters Age 50 and Older
The Rubber Bands
Stretched thin and holding things together
21% of women voters ages 50+
Disconnected and Disappointed
Worried, financially strained, and socially isolated
15% of women voters ages 50+
Engaged and Concerned
Tuned in; relatively Democrat-leaning but ideologically diverse
31% of women voters ages 50+
Instagrammas
Socially connected and enjoying life
16% of women voters ages 50+
Traditionalists
Relatively conservative and Republican-leaning, traditionally engaged
18% of women voters ages 50+
The Rubber Bands
Holding it all together but stretched thin — these women express high levels of stress and worry, are more likely than most other clusters to describe themselves as “exhausted,” but also often choose words like “happy” to describe their lives and are quite connected to family and friends.
- This group is under age 65, and most are in the workforce (57% employed, 10% unemployed and looking for work). They are the group most likely to have children under age 18 in their home and are also the most likely to currently be caregivers for an adult family member.
I just didn’t think that I would be the caregiver that I am to both my parents at my age. I mean, yeah, I’m 55, but I just thought my parents would be—I don’t know, young and live forever, and not get sick, and just still live my carefree life, like I did in my twenties.
–Focus group participant on where they are in life
- Most (56%) say their personal finances are falling short of where they expected to be at their age, and 56% are not confident they will be able to retire when they would like. Out of all the segments, they are most likely to say cost of living is a top issue facing the country.
Most Rubber Bands say their personal finances are falling short of their expectations
Percent who feel their personal finances are falling short of their expectations, by voter segmentation
| Voter Segmentation | Percent |
|---|---|
| The Rubber Bands | 56% |
| Disconnected and Disappointed | 64% |
| Engaged and Concerned | 45% |
| Instagrammas | 40% |
| Traditionalists | 41% |
- Politically, they are narrowly divided: they would be more likely to vote for a Democrat (+3) on a generic congressional ballot, and picked Biden +2 over Trump.
How can candidates connect with the Rubber Bands?
Promote paid family leave and support for family caregivers:
- With over half of voters in this cluster having recently served as caregivers themselves, leaders have an opportunity to connect with them on policies that could have a personal impact.
- Of all the clusters, they are the most likely to strongly agree that elected officials should provide more support for family caregivers, and that caregivers should be able to receive paid leave benefits so they don’t lose their job or salary while caring for their loved ones.
Disconnected and Disappointed
This group is the most socially isolated, and the most likely to say things in their life have fallen short of their expectations — especially their personal finances.
- Relative to other groups, few say they are happy or satisfied with life.
I had to quit my job to take care of my mother, so now I’m still stuck working instead of retired.
–Focus group participant on where they are in life
I have a lot of sadness, I guess. And that’s basically what I battle every day. I try to pretend I’m happy because people want to see that. So, life didn’t turn out how I expected. I expected us to spend our retirement together, and now I’m spending it alone.
–Focus group participant on where they are in life
More than half of the Disconnected and Disappointed say their overall enjoyment of life is falling short of their expectations
Percent who feel their overall enjoyment of life is falling short of their expectations, by voter segmentation
| Voter Segmentation | Percent |
|---|---|
| The Rubber Bands | 35% |
| Disconnected and Disappointed | 52% |
| Engaged and Concerned | 31% |
| Instagrammas | 18% |
| Traditionalists | 27% |
- This group tends to also be younger, and lower-income (41% earn less than $30,000/year). Most are not currently in the workforce (just 26% are employed, and 10% are unemployed and looking for work). Among those who are employed, this cluster has the highest percentage of service industry employees (32%).
- These voters break for Republicans by 7 points on a generic congressional ballot, and narrowly for Trump over Biden by a 2-point margin.
How can candidates connect with the Disconnected and Disappointed?
Ensure they are heard:
- This cluster is among the least likely to feel leaders — even at the local level — listen to people like them. They are also somewhat less likely to publicly share their opinions on political issues.
- Given their relatively low-level of engagement in social and volunteer activities, these voters may not be among those who show up to typical campaign events — leaders may need to go (and listen) to them.
Engaged and Concerned
Of all of the clusters, this group is the most likely to say they are “worried” about the upcoming presidential election (54%) and are the most likely to say that the result of the election really will make a difference to them personally.
You hear like in the news recently that by the time 2040 comes around, Social Security is not going to be around, and you know you paid into it. There’s always a threat that it’s not gonna be there. So, I think that those funds need to be set aside and not touched. And I don’t know how they’re invested, but it has to be like a rock-solid investment, because I think that’s one thing that they owe the American people. We paid into it so don’t touch that.
–Focus group participant on what they would like to ask candidates
Are you willing to work with the other party to resolve problems and not be one against the other?
–Focus group participant on where they are in life
- These women are mostly aged 65+ and are largely white (82% white, non-Hispanic). This cluster also has the highest proportion of women who have a bachelor’s degree or higher (42%).
- This is the most pro-Biden cluster, with Biden defeating Trump among these voters by a 12-point margin and with Democratic congressional candidates holding a 7-point lead, but is still a fairly diverse group in terms of partisanship and ideology.
How can candidates connect with the Engaged and Concerned?
Instagrammas
These women aged 50+ are feeling pretty great about life; the top words they use to describe themselves are “happy” (55%) and “satisfied” (46%). Of all the groups, they are most likely to say their overall enjoyment of life is meeting (52%) or exceeding (29%) their expectations.
Instagrammas are the most likely segmentation to feel happy about their own lives
Percent who say they are happy about their own lives, by voter segmentation
| Voter Segmentation | Percent |
|---|---|
| The Rubber Bands | 36% |
| Disconnected and Disappointed | 22% |
| Engaged and Concerned | 36% |
| Instagrammas | 55% |
| Traditionalists | 42% |
- A majority (51%) report having used Instagram within the last week, though they are no more likely than most other clusters to report posting about political issues on social media.
- More likely, they are sharing glimpses into their active lives. They are the most likely to engage in social activities, travel, and to engage in cultural activities like visiting museums or attending concerts. They are among the most connected to family and friends.
- This group is evenly divided on congressional races, and near-evenly split on a presidential head-to-head (Biden +1).
Are you willing to compromise and be bipartisan, so that things can get accomplished, not just for specific people, but for everybody?
–Focus group participant on what they would like to ask candidates
How can candidates connect with Instagrammas?
Traditionalists
- The women in this cluster are all over the age of 65, are the most likely to be white (85% white, non-Hispanic), and are the most likely to say they attend religious services at least once a week (35%).
While Traditionalists are the most likely to attend religious services at least weekly, just over a third say they do so
Percent who attend a religious service at least once a week, by voter segmentation
| Voter Segmentation | Percent |
|---|---|
| The Rubber Bands | 22% |
| Disconnected and Disappointed | 17% |
| Engaged and Concerned | 26% |
| Instagrammas | 26% |
| Traditionalists | 35% |
- They are among the most likely to prefer more traditionalist or conservative positions, particularly on social and cultural questions. This cluster is the most likely to report watching Fox News (41%), and to be in a household with someone who serves or has served in the military.
- They break for Donald Trump by a 5-point margin on a 2024 ballot, and for Republican congressional candidates by a 9-point margin over Democrats.
I think that they need to live by the same standards as the American people. I don’t think they should be allowed to have their special retirement plans or their golden parachutes when they come into office.
–Focus group participant on elected officials being out of touch
How can candidates connect with the Traditionalists?
Remember they lean traditionally conservative:
- Keep in mind that they are more likely to support conservative positions on both social and economic issues.
- Don’t mistake them for populists: These voters look more like traditional conservatives on issues including the role of government, economic inequality, and free trade.
In Their Own Words
In June, we talked to women 50 and older in their homes and on the street in different parts of the country. Meet the women we talked to and hear what they have to say about what their lives are like in this economy and political environment, and what they’d like politicians to do to improve them.
Methodology
The survey was fielded online from January 10–21, 2024 in English using non-probability sampling. The final sample included 3,380 respondents, with a base sample of 2,047 voters in the likely electorate (LE) nationwide. The base sample included 668 women LE voters age 50+, and an oversample of a general group of women LE voters age 50+ achieved a total of 1,041 women LE voters age 50+ before separate, additional oversamples of:
- 313 Black women LE voters age 50+,
- 310 Hispanic/Latina women LE voters age 50+, and
- 337 AAPI women LE voters age 50+.
In total, in the final sample (base sample and all oversamples combined), there were 2,001 women LE voters age 50+, including 410 Black women LE voters age 50+, 353 Hispanic/Latina women LE voters age 50+, and 338 AAPI women LE voters age 50+.