Indiana represents the heartland of America. It’s a place where community ties run deep, where neighbors look out for each other, and where common sense and hard work define the character of its people. That’s why, with Indiana’s 2026 legislative session underway, Defend Forgotten America commissioned a poll of Hoosiers.
As a nonpartisan organization committed to elevating the voices of heartland communities too often overlooked in national debates, we wanted to understand what Hoosiers truly need and what they’re asking their leaders to prioritize.
The statewide poll, conducted in early December by the respected national pollster Public Opinion Strategies, reveals a clear message to lawmakers as they kick off the second part of the session. Hoosiers, regardless of party affiliation, are unified around the urgent need to increase investment in health care access and protect local hospitals.
Nearly three-quarters of all voters — 73% — agree that the Indiana state government should do more to protect hospitals in local communities, with 45% strongly agreeing. This sentiment crosses party lines, with more than two-thirds of both Republicans and Democrats supporting greater hospital protections.
Unsurprisingly, they are greatly concerned about proposed cuts to Indiana’s Medicaid program. Nearly half of Hoosiers have heard about plans to cut over $1 billion annually from the state’s Medicaid program, and the response is striking: 71% oppose these cuts, including 57% who strongly oppose them. Majorities of Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike oppose the proposed reductions, as do nearly two-thirds of rural Hoosiers.
Hoosiers worry about rural residents losing health care access, local hospitals eliminating critical services, emergency room overcrowding, and rural women losing access to OBGYNs. Between 86% and 90% of voters express concern about each of these potential impacts, with roughly 40% very concerned about each.
These fears reflect real challenges already facing Indiana’s health care landscape. Fully 91% of Hoosiers say helping residents manage chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease is important to improving public health, with 76% calling it very important. This becomes out of reach for many communities as rural health collapses. Four rural hospitals have closed in recent years, and more are at risk of closure.
This is not just a problem in Indiana as a similar crisis in rural health care has unfolded across the country. In small towns across rural America, families worry that their local hospital might not be there tomorrow. Clinics are shutting down, women travel hours for prenatal checkups, and emergency rooms are stretched to capacity.
The poll also reveals other pressing concerns on Hoosiers’ minds. Groceries and everyday essentials are putting the most pressure on household budgets. On education, only 25% rate Indiana’s public schools as excellent or good, with residents most focused on strengthening college and career readiness and improving teacher pay. And on infrastructure, deteriorating local roads emerge as the biggest concern, with 35% identifying this as their top problem.
Though most Hoosiers believe the state is on the wrong track, our poll offers a path for leaders to bring back a sense of optimism to the state. By prioritizing the concerns that unite their constituents and turning their priorities into action, the 2026 legislative session offers an opportunity for Indiana to take bold action that forgotten communities are demanding across the country.