Last night, citizens in Iowa came out and participated in a caucus to show who they think should be the US Presidential candidates for the Democratic and Republican parties. If you’re not sure what a caucus is (it gets complicated and even bizarre) read more here.
Iowa’s role in the election is more significant than it should be--it tends to set the tone for the rest of the primary season. So looking at where Iowans stand on international issues is helpful to understand how global concerns will impact presidential platforms.
This information is taken from an exit poll Iowa’s citizen (Republican and Democrat) took after declaring their support for presidential candidates in the caucus.
EDUCATION
Education wasn’t a priority topic in the state’s primary. However, the education status of citizens in Iowa is interesting in what it can tell us about how voters skew.
Iowa voters with a high school education or less tended to support Trump. (Most polled citizens had some college experience.)
While Iowans weren’t polled for their thoughts on education, educational background is an important factor in determining who they vote for, and which issues they value.
IMMIGRATION
Immigration ranked low for both Democrats and Republicans, but is still an important issue in both parties. 13 percent of Republicans believe immigration is the top issue to care about. It's important to note that Republicans generally want to slow down immigration and deport those living in the country illegally.
INCOME INEQUALITY
The issue of income inequality made it to within the top four issues Iowans care about for Democrats but not Republicans.
In terms of income, higher income families (those making over $50,000) favored Hillary and lower income families supported Bernie. When family income was polled at families making over $100,000 in the last year (only 20 percent of Democratic voters), support for Hillary further increased.
Income inequality is a global problem that exists in developed and developing countries. Democrats in Iowa prioritized this issue, but it still needs much more attention in the months to come.
ECONOMY/JOBS
The economy and the creation of secure jobs was a significant issue for those in Iowa on both the Democratic and Republican side. 27 percent of Republicans said the economy and jobs was the MOST important issue, while 33 percent of Democrats found this to be the most pressing issue facing the country.
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Government spending in the US affects the global economy to a great extent. The US has the 2nd highest GDP in the world, and government spending within the US ripples throughout the global economy.
32 percent of Republicans in Iowa marked government spending as the most important issue facing the country. For Republicans, this made government spending the biggest priority. Government spending was not in the top four major issues for Democrats. It's important to highlight that to Republicans, generally speaking, the government spends too much.
HEALTHCARE
For Democrats, healthcare was an important issue coming in second to concerns about the economy and jobs at 30 percent of Democrats polled in Iowa. Hillary supporters cared more about healthcare than Bernie supporters. Women were more likely to vote for Clinton, which suggests that healthcare may have become an issue that slightly divides along a gender line.
TERRORISM
Terrorism is a global issue, one which has received a lot of attention and some misunderstanding in US politics. This topic was a concern for both parties, but was prioritized more by Republicans (25 percent said this is the MOST important issue) then by Democrats (6 percent).
The Iowa caucus is just the beginning of the US presidential election, and these results only provide a glimpse into the future of the presidential race. Especially considering Iowa has very little racial diversity. What we can tell so far is that it may be a close race for both parties and what we can hope is that both parties respect one another and talk more about global issues such as climate change and foreign aid into light more as November approaches.