KFF and AP Survey Rural Voters on Cost of Living Before Midterms

KFF and the Associated Press are fielding a joint survey that asks rural voters how they view rising living costs, including health care expenses, in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, according to KFF's report on the project, carried via Google News. No topline percentages from the fieldwork were available in the material reviewed by HTT News.

What does the survey examine?

The project, as titled by KFF, centers on rural voters' "increasing anxieties" over the cost of living, with health costs flagged as a specific line item within that broader concern. The framing places the survey squarely in the pre-midterm season, when both parties are testing messages on affordability with rural constituencies.

Who is running it, and when will results land?

KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research organization, is partnering with the Associated Press on the effort. The source material available does not specify a field date, sample size, or margin of error, and HTT News will update this brief once KFF publishes its methodology and topline findings.

Why does rural sentiment matter heading into the midterms?

Rural counties have been a focal point in recent election cycles, and affordability — grocery bills, fuel, insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket medical costs — has repeatedly polled as a top concern nationally. A survey aimed specifically at rural respondents lets campaigns and policymakers see whether cost pressures in those communities are rising faster, slower, or differently than in urban and suburban areas. Election administrators are also watching turnout mechanics in the same window: a separate HTT News report notes that election fraud case filings have risen amid broader integrity concerns nationally, a dynamic that will shape how midterm results are scrutinized regardless of which economic message resonates. Read that report here.

What economic pressures are rural producers already flagging?

Separate from the KFF/AP polling, agricultural operators have been adjusting to cost pressures on their own terms. Idaho ranchers, for instance, have been adopting production changes aimed at sustainability and efficiency, according to Rex Ranch Life's coverage of that shift. That reporting does not draw a direct line to the KFF/AP survey, but it illustrates the kind of operational cost management rural households and businesses are already navigating independent of any single poll.

What should readers watch for next?

The next concrete marker is KFF's publication of full survey results, including sample composition and specific findings on health-cost anxiety. Until that data is public, any percentage or ranking of concerns attributed to the survey should be treated as unconfirmed. HTT News will follow up with sourced figures once KFF and AP release the underlying numbers.