As the nation continues to feel the impacts of inflation, recent polling shows that Americans continue to name it as the biggest issue facing the country today.
A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released last Tuesday showed that amongst registered voters, 55% named inflation the top issue, with 19% naming crime, 18% naming immigration, and 8% naming unemployment.
Overall, the poll found that more than 90% of respondents voiced concerns about inflation and its impacts on their daily lives.
Inflation has cooled for 11 straight months, after topping out at 9.1% last June.
In May, consumer prices rose at their slowest annual rate since March 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the year ending in May, the Consumer Price Index increased 4%, almost a full percentage drop from April’s 4.9%.
Decision Desk HQ’s director of data science, Scott Tranter, shared in the poll that its results highlight how important economic issues are for Americans.
“We’ve had a debt ceiling fight, we’ve had a lot of political happenings and the number one thing is still the economy,” Tranter said.
While the concern remains strong amongst Americans, it is slightly less of a worry compared to last year at this time, when inflation was at record highs and over 70% of people said it was the nation’s biggest issue.
When asked about how they have been impacted by inflation, the poll found that 45% of respondents reported being worse off financially today than they were a year ago, with 23% saying they were better off and almost a third reporting no change.
Economic stress has caused many to dig deep into their savings and beyond, with the Federal Reserve reporting that Americans owe almost $1 trillion in credit card debt.
With 70% of Americans reporting that the country is on the “wrong track,” the upcoming presidential election could see major change at all levels.
“If President Trump wins the Republican primary, he’s made it pretty clear his message is going to be: ‘Hey, when it was under me, the economy was great,’” Tranter said.
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