Faith in political leadership has slipped as health care, housing costs continue to climb
DENVER — Coloradans are tightening their belts this November, as stress over the rising cost of living and the affordability of health care and housing continues to mount. They’re concerned about expiring ACA tax credits, along with the state budget and the overall economy, preparing to reduce their spending in the year ahead. But they’re thinking twice before dipping into such politically charged topics over Thanksgiving dinner.
According to the latest Colorado Polling Institute survey released today, the state’s increasing cost of living is taking a toll on the economy as three-in-five Colorado voters (61%) say they have cut spending on non-essential items in the past year. Nationally, 42% of voters say they have cut their non-essential spending, suggesting that inflation and the cost of living are taking a bigger bite out of people’s wallets in Colorado than the nation as a whole. Less than one-third of Colorado voters (28% vs 43% nationally) say they have not changed their spending habits in 2025, while just 12% of Colorado voters have increased spending on non-essential items.
That correlates with survey results showing that 63% of voters consider the rising cost of health insurance in Colorado a crisis or a major problem. And many believe things will get worse before they get better, as a plurality of 46% say they think Colorado’s economy will get worse over the next year while 43% predict it will remain the same.
“Coloradans are clearly feeling the economic pinch of inflation, largely driven by concerns about health insurance and housing costs,” said Lori Weigel, Principal of New Bridge Strategy (R). “Unfortunately, there’s little optimism on the horizon. With nearly half of voters preparing for the economy to get worse in 2026, many Coloradans may be saying ‘bah humbug’ as we enter the holiday season.”
The online poll of 622 likely 2026 Colorado voters was conducted Nov. 1-5 by the bipartisan team of Aspect Strategic (D) and New Bridge Strategy (R) and has a margin of error of +/- 3.93%. Thanks to a grant from the Rose Community Foundation, this poll includes an oversampling of Hispanic voters, allowing the survey to have a more statistically significant look at a slice of the electorate with growing importance to state and national politics. It is the eighth poll conducted by CPI since its founding in 2023, and our fifth statewide survey.
“It’s critical for our leaders to understand how Coloradans view our state,” said CPI Founder and CEO David Carlson. “Our goal is to provide nonpartisan insights to help state leaders not only understand the challenges people are facing, but also motivate them to find solutions.”
ECONOMIC ISSUES
Issues related to the cost of living (8%) and housing affordability (8%) are among the most important for Coloradans, statistically tied with immigration (9%) as the top issues for the state government to address. Healthcare (6%) rounded out the top five, just behind homelessness (7%).
Nearly three-in-four Coloradans (72%) think Congress should extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, on par with what voters think nationally (78%). Opinions vary dramatically by political party, however, as 92% of Colorado Democrats support the extension and only 8% say Congress should let them expire. Republicans are split on the issue, with 54% who say let the tax credits expire compared to 46% in support of extension, while independent voters favor extending them over ending them, 74% to 26%.
“There is broad support in Colorado for extending the enhanced ACA tax credits and you have to squint pretty hard to find a slice of the electorate who wants to see them expire,” said Kevin Ingham, Principal of Aspect Strategic (D). “Voters with private and public health insurance, voters who feel financially comfortable and precarious, and voters in urban and rural areas all favor extending the tax credits by wide margins. Even among Republicans, we find a significant share want them extended, especially GOP women who favor the credits by a 16-point margin.”
Concerns about social programs like SNAP (5%) and state budget and spending (5%) are new top-of-mind issues this year compared to November of last year, further demonstrating the economic anxieties of voters.
A plurality of voters (46%) say the Colorado state budget has some problems but is not in crisis, while more than a third (35%) believe the state budget is in crisis. Those figures have risen slightly since polling last March, when 43% said the state budget had problems and 30% called it a crisis. The number of voters who say the budget is in good shape dropped from 11% in March to 6% in November.
Meanwhile, voter sentiment remains consistent over the past few years about the direction of Colorado, hovering around 50% saying the state is headed in the right direction since we began polling on the issue in 2023. Polling this November shows 47% of Colorado voters believe the state is headed in the right direction, compared to 44% who say Colorado is on the wrong track.
Those perceptions are again highly partisan, with Democrats indicating optimism about the state’s direction by a 57-point margin (75% right direction, 18% wrong track) and Republicans offering a more pessimistic outlook by a 49-point margin (22% right direction, 71% wrong track). Independent voters are almost evenly split, (45% right direction, 44% wrong track). Hispanic voters are also equally divided over the direction of the state (47% right direction to 45% wrong track).
ELECTED OFFICIALS
Favorability ratings for elected officials in the poll show a slight decrease across the board since March.
Favorability for Gov. Jared Polis. dropped 11 points from our March survey, to -1 this month (45% favorable, 46% unfavorable). Gov. John Hickenlooper dropped 8 points in that time, to +5 this month (43% favorable, 38% unfavorable).
Among the 2026 gubernatorial candidates, voters are far more familiar with Sen. Michael Bennet, but have mixed views of both him (41% favorable, 35% unfavorable) and Attorney General Phil Weiser (24% favorable and 19% unfavorable).
Bennet has higher name recognition than Weiser smong Colorado Democrats (78% to 43%), but the AG has a slightly better image ratio at 4:1 favorable:unfavorable compared to Bennet’s 3:1 favorability ratio.
POLITICAL VIEWS
Despite clear partisan contrasts, Colorado for the most part remains an agreeable community, with nearly three-in-four (74%) saying we have more in common than what divides us. Four-in-five Coloradans say they have at least some friends with different political views than their own (60%), including 22% who say they have a lot of them.
Those relationships may endure thanks to savvy conversation skills during gatherings like next week’s Thanksgiving holiday. When it comes to talking politics with friends and family, Colorado voters are split on whether they avoid such conversations or not. A slight majority of 54% say they avoid talking politics, compared to 46% who have no fear.
Of course, those conversations are always easier when almost everyone is in agreement, as is the case for issues like the state’s voting system. Nearly nine-in-ten Coloradans (87%) say they are satisfied with the state’s voting system, compared to just 13% who are unsatisfied.
Similarly, more than four-in-five Coloradans (83%) support vaccine mandates for children attending public schools, with almost two-in-three (61%) expressing strong support. Unsurprisingly, most Coloradans (55%) also hold an unfavorable view of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vax U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.