WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A majority of American voters are convinced this November's midterm elections will significantly impact the country, according to a new poll released on Monday.
More than eight in 10 registered voters consider voting in the upcoming elections to be extremely or very important, the latest Associated Press-NORC poll showed.
While majorities of both Democrats and Republicans expect the outcome to impact the country overall and the economy, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe the same about abortion policy.
Voters give Democrats an edge over Republicans on their ability to handle health care and abortion policy but are more likely to trust the Republicans when it comes to the economy and crime.
On issues including gun policy, foreign policy and immigration, trust in both parties is about equal. About one in five registered voters don't trust either party to handle each issue.
Seventy percent of American voters are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States. Republicans are more likely to be dissatisfied than Democrats.
Most voters also have a negative view of the state of politics in the country. Voters are more likely to feel pessimistic than optimistic about the future of both political parties.
The nationwide poll was conducted October 6-10, with 1,121 adults, including 961 who say they are registered to vote. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is plus/minus 4.1 percentage points.
