Beyond the price tag: What Ohioans really think about America’s broken system

One well-worn view is that voters are driven almost entirely by their pocketbooks. But Altum Insight’s latest Qual at Scale report reveals a much deeper, more systemic disillusionment taking root in the heartland. As the report concludes:

If Dems want to talk about cost of living, they must attack the root cause of the cost of living problem: the political dysfunction that got us here in the first place.

In June and July 2026, Altum Insight surveyed 353 Ohio residents using an AI Moderated Interviewer (AIMI), gathering nearly 117 hours of open-ended feedback. Prioritizing Black, Gen X, and Millennial respondents, the study surfaced a stark reality:

• The Vibes Are Bad: A massive 81% of respondents believe life in America has gotten worse over the last two years.
• Front Row Seats to the Failure Parade: While economic hardship was cited in 35% of conversations, an overwhelming 74% focused on political and governance failure. That's more than double the rate of economic worries.
• The Double Haters’ Ball: Most voters aren't falling back on traditional partisan loyalty. Instead they see a broken, self-interested political structure that is not solving their problems.

These voters aren't looking for superficial promises and they don't want more partisan finger-pointing. The report offers a clear warning for Democrats about why the narrative frame they use will matter:

In the coming election (and the succeeding), it will be extremely tempting for Democrats to run two parallel strands of communication: one on cost of living, one on corruption – for example, vowing to put money back in people's pockets while also promising to fight the self-interest and corruption of the Republican administration, and investigate Trump. Both impulses are understandable; as we have seen, there is a substantial population concerned about cost of living, and a substantial population that believes this administration has served its own interests before anyone else's.

The Democratic advantage on these arguments is likely to be fleeting, however, because the cohorts Democrats most need to shore up (Black Millennial and Gen X women) and where they have the most ground to persuade (non Black Gen X men) subscribe not to the Partisan Narrative but to the Systemic one, and in that narrative, neither party and no single individual is directly responsible for what has happened to America.

Read the full report here: