COVID-19 Is No Longer a Concern... 70% of Americans Say "The Biggest Problem Is Rising Prices"

US Pew Research Poll Results
Perception of Awareness on Individual Issues Varies Greatly by Political Orientation

A resident is looking around inside a store to buy groceries and daily necessities on the 12th of last month (local time) in Alhambra, California, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] A survey found that 70% of Americans consider inflation to be the biggest challenge facing the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic, which was regarded as a major issue until early this year following last year, has fallen out of the top 10 concerns.

According to a poll conducted by the U.S. public opinion research organization Pew Research from April 25 to May 1, surveying 5,074 American adults, 70% of respondents (multiple answers allowed) identified inflation as the biggest problem facing the country.

Following that, medical expenses (55%), violent crime (54%), gun incidents (51%), and the fiscal deficit (51%) were cited as major issues by more than half of respondents, but there was a significant gap compared to inflation. Other issues such as illegal immigration (38%), infrastructure conditions (30%), and unemployment (23%) received lower response rates.

In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic ranked lowest at 19%. This is a significant decline in public interest compared to the same survey conducted in June 2020, when 58% of respondents identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the biggest challenge.

Political orientation also influenced the prioritization of national issues. Among Republicans or Republican supporters, 84% viewed inflation as the greatest national challenge. In contrast, 57% of Democrats or Democratic supporters were concerned about rising prices. Democratic supporters regarded gun incidents (70%) as the most serious issue, followed by health insurance costs (65%) and climate change (63%) as major problems.

Awareness of individual issues also showed significant differences depending on political orientation. While 65% of Democratic supporters considered climate change the nation's biggest challenge, only 19% of Republican supporters did, showing a difference of about four times.

The percentage of Republican supporters who identified racial discrimination as the biggest issue changed little from 19% last year to 14% this year, but the proportion among Democratic supporters dropped significantly from 67% a year ago to 49%.