KY POLL RESULTS for the Alliance for Retired Americans

August 21, 2026

KY POLL RESULTS for the Alliance for Retired Americans

POLL RESULTS: Kentuckians Across Political Spectrum Concerned with Kitchen-Table Issues of Affordability, Health Care Access, and Preserving Rural Communities

Introduction

With another year of consequential elections quickly approaching, the Alliance conducted a series of 748 interviews equally distributed across two Kentucky communities, which cover Jefferson, Trimble, Oldham, LaRue, Marion, Nelson, Spencer, and Washington Counties. The goal of this research was to better understand these communities, their voters, and what issues are driving concerns held by those who live in them. While the voters surveyed skew toward the senior community (43% overall are 60+), their concerns speak to issues Americans of all ages are grappling with: cost of living, education and job training, and preservation of the things that make their community special.

Executive Summary

• Kentuckians are proud of the communities they live in. When asked to describe their community, voters most used words like welcoming and friendly, safe, small-town or rural, and quiet, peaceful, or calm.
• Kentuckians care about protecting public education, citing it as one of their main concerns and a powerful way to create jobs that turn into meaningful careers.
• Kentuckians are concerned with kitchen-table issues, including affordability, health care access, and K-12 education.
• Kentuckians are worried about losing the things they’re proud of – rural farmland, good schools, and access to health care and other infrastructure.
• More than half of Kentuckians surveyed think the state, where Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature, is on the wrong track. This signals an appetite for new state leaders who focus on addressing Kentuckians’ concerns in 2026 and beyond.

Key Findings and Relevance

1. Community Description – Kentuckians are proud of their hometowns.

Community Description – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

When asked to describe their community, voters in the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville cited things like welcoming and friendly (20%), safe (16%), and small-town or rural (10%).

Community Description – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

When asked to describe their community, voters outside the city center of Louisville and Bourbon Country stated that it was small town/rural (38%) followed by friendly and welcoming (17%) and quiet, peaceful, and calm (12%).

2. Education – Job Creation & Protecting Public Funding

Education Rating – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

In the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville, more than six-in-ten (62%) rate their local K-12 school as excellent/good, while 38% rate them as fair/poor.

Education Rating – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

Similarly, in Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country, 57% rate their schools as excellent/good, while 42% rate them as fair/poor.

Education Funding – Shield from Cuts vs. Across-the-Board Cuts – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

Three quarters of voters in each community say they would prefer a candidate (for the purposes of the poll, we used State Senate as a placeholder for a legislative candidate) who says public education is important and would shield them from cuts over a candidate who says we have great schools, but they would make across-the-board cuts to balance the budget.

Education Funding View – Shield from Cuts vs. Across-the-Board Cuts – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

Job Creation Approach View – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

Overwhelmingly, voters in the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville say the better way to attract jobs is using education and job training (73%) rather than using tax incentives (27%).

Job Creation Approach View – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

We see the same dynamic in Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country, with 80% who say the Legislature should use education and job training, compared to just 20% who say they should use tax incentives.

3. Concerns – Kentuckians care about kitchen-table issues

Concern Summary – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

When we asked about concerns, voters in the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville cited things like K-12 public education (64% very concerned), health care access (51%), and affordability in the area (48%).

Concern Summary – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

In Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country, the top concerns are health care access (54% very concerned), affordability in the area (53%), and K-12 public education (53%).

4. Local Issues – Kentuckians want to preserve rural communities and make life better for those in them.

Local Issue Summary – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

A majority (54%) of voters in the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville say they strongly agree with the statement: Our community is growing, which is good, but we need to do more to preserve farmland and our community’s character (88% in total agree). More than a third (34%) strongly agree with the statement: Quality K-12 public schools are a major reason why our community is a great place to live (61% in total agree).

Local Issue Summary – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

Three quarters (76%) strongly agree with the statement: We need more career and technical education as well as apprenticeship programs, so people have the skills they need to get a good job (98% total agree).

Two thirds (68%) strongly agree with the statement: Our community is growing, which is good, but we need to do more to preserve farmland and our community’s character (93% total agree).

5.  Views on Kentucky’s Direction – Voters are divided.

Kentucky Direction – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

In the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville area, more than half of Kentuckians surveyed (52%) say the state is on the wrong track, while 46% say it is moving in the right direction.

Kentucky Direction – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country

In Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country, a majority (51%) say the state is off on the wrong track, while 47% say it is moving in the right direction.

6. Most Important Issue for State Government – Kentuckians want leaders to address their concerns.

Most Important Issue – Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville

In the Eastern/Northeastern Suburbs of Louisville area, the cost of living stands out as the most important problem people want state government to address, followed by education (13%), and crime and public safety (12%).

Most Important Issue – Exurban Louisville and Bourbon Country