Eight years have passed since Colorado has faced such a significant election season. Our choices now will set another eight years of our collective future. It’s temperature-taking time.

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado recently completed a poll of 725 women voters on the state of their lives in our state. CapitolCommons.ai has presented a survey of Coloradans of all ages, genders and political parties. Then there is the recent analysis of the challenges causing gender friction in Helen Lewis’s article in The Atlantic, “The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet.”

The Women’s Foundation poll shows frustrating and poignant results — frustrating because many of the disconcerting issues of the 1970s remain today, and poignant for the same reason. The bottom line for women in Colorado is thus: 84% of women polled cannot keep up with the cost of living. That’s a big and troubling number.

The effect of their economic challenges makes for hard decisions and limited choices. The poll reveals 44% of Colorado women have “delayed or canceled major life decisions in the past year due to financial reasons.” Top-of-the-line delayed decisions concern housing, career-and-employment choices and health care. Top-of-the-line hard choices concern saving for retirement, using credit card debt to cover expenses, and delayed medical care. The top-of-the-line barrier to getting ahead financially is caregiving.

Economic and pay inequality, political rights and childcare access and affordability require the legislature’s attention, as do all forms of health care. Health care delayed means dental procedures postponed, no hearing aids, medications stopped, among many examples.

Most startling in the poll is the issue of personal safety for women. Almost 90% of women are worried about AI altered images and videos of women and girls. Three-quarters of women polled are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about financial scams. Almost 50% of women are worried about sexual assault and violent crime.

The most encouraging aspiration in the poll is 52% of women would explore opening or growing their own business if they had the chance. Among Black women, 64% would welcome starting their own business. Funds for women entrepreneurs are now circumscribed by state economic development policies to lure large, out-of-state companies to Colorado. Change there could give women agency to grow their wealth and secure the future for themselves and their families.

The most generous poll finding is women rate the priorities of everyone ahead of priorities affecting mostly women, at 43% to 29%. The irony of this result is so many so-called political issues confronting women should not be considered political or exclusive to women. They are urgent for everyone.

Support for that assertion comes from the informal survey of Coloradans conducted by CapitolCommons.ai to get the lay of the land for the election season. The questionnaire focuses on the personal state of the state, with an emphasis on whether Colorado provides enough opportunity to give residents confidence they can live here over the long term.

The good news is 94% of respondents want to live in Colorado long term. The not-so-good news is only 38% of Coloradans believe Colorado will be their long-term home. Of the remainder, 46% are somewhat confident, 14% are not very confident and 4% may be leaving soon.

The economy, according to respondents, is in “meh” condition. It’s growing but growth is uneven according to 55% of respondents, or it’s stagnant and declining according to 32%. Only 4% say it’s thriving. Only 25% of respondents report growth in the economy has helped their personal situation.

Like The Women’s Foundation poll, the survey confirms cost of living is the pinch point for limiting opportunity. This factor includes groceries, insurance (health, car, home, rental), utilities and housing (owning and rent). When asked what the state could do to improve personal circumstances, lowering cost of living is most important. Seniors say retiring in Colorado is getting close to impossible. Young people, 18-24, want jobs to continue living here.

According to Helen Lewis’ article on masculinism, there’s a national split between men and women on how to address these statewide, cross-gender problems. The division is evident in political party registrations between Democrats and Republicans. Colorado’s Democratic party comprises 60% women registered voters, and the GOP comprises 53% of men registered voters. Lewis argues many men see Democrats as “feminine.” Democratic solutions to political issues are therefore feminine.

From the other direction, women see men’s belief that women have too many advantages as unfounded and obtuse. The Women’s Foundation poll shows women don’t feel advantaged and that their unpaid caregiving and daily family supports still interfere with their career opportunities, income and standard of living.

The irony is the economic plight of women is also to a significant degree the economic plight of men. Women striving for economic security has pressured men still adjusting to women striving for economic security. Politicians who serve on the premise the economic pie can secure a stable life for everyone will be the leaders of the future.

Paula Noonan owns CapitolCommons.ai, the state’s premier legislature tracking platform.