Cygnal’s Pulse Pod Ep. 81 Women Under 55 vs. Everyone Else: America’s Deepening Divide w/ Pollsters Brent Buchanan and John Rogers – Join us for the latest episode of Cygnal’s Pulse Pod as we dive into the most recent political trends and public opinion shifts that are reshaping America’s political landscape. Our data-driven analysis reveals some surprising developments that you won’t want to miss.
Highlights:
Parental and reproductive concerns: it’s back-to-school season and a quarter of parents of PreK-12 students say political interference (24%) in their children’s education is the issue they are most concerned with. Physical safety and security are cited by 26 percent of parents, followed by curriculum content (13%) and academic performance (12%), with AI, and resourcing issues as tertiary concerns. Democrats (37%) are more concerned than Republicans (22%) about political interference while swing voters prioritize student safety. As the U.S. inches toward dropping below the repopulation number, 72 percent believe the ideal number of children is 2 or more.
Foreign and domestic: 2026 midterm election season is underway, and swing voters say President Trump should focus more on domestic issues than international affairs (by a +4 margin). Overall, 58 percent of voters agree with only 13 percent thinking Trump’s focus should remain more internationally.
Edge maintenance: despite a slight increase in pessimism about the direction of the country and worsening perceptions about the impact of inflation, the GOP maintains an edge over Democrats with voters’ trust on every major issue area. As off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia set the stage for the 2026 midterms, both parties have made gains along diploma and community type divides – Republicans remain resilient among non-college educated voters (shifting +12 since May) while Democrats make gains among the college-educated. Urban and rural voters both shifted +4 net toward a generic GOP in the last month, while suburban voters moved +6 net toward a generic Democrat.
Party trust by top issues:
- Economy and jobs (R+3)
- Costs of living (R+3)
- Illegal immigration and border security (R+22)
- Crime and public safety (R+16)
- Cutting wasteful government spending (R+17)
- Foreign affairs (R+4)
Trans as an illness: views on transgenderism remain split with 42 percent of voters saying they believe it is a mental illness while 44 percent say it’s a natural variation of human identity. The belief that it’s natural is driven mostly by women (+23) under age 55. Men and swing voters (+3) said being transgender is a mental illness.
Two-state illusion: partisanship, age, and race define attitudes on the Israel–Hamas conflict and the potential of a two-state solution. Fifty-six percent of voters either oppose or are unsure about a two-state solution while 43 percent support it, mostly driven by Democrats (+46), voters under 55 (+24), college‑educated (+26), urban (+29), and non‑white (+22). But among voters who want Trump to focus less on international affairs and more on domestic issues (58%), support for a two‑state solution shrinks by 6 net points.
Brent Buchanan X: @brentbuc
John Rogers X: @johnrogersal
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