While overwhelming majorities of Democrats ages 65 and older are as likely to say that dealing with the coronavirus should be a top priority as they were a year ago, younger Democrats are less likely to say this over the same timespan. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,128 U.S. adults in January 2022. The government edges out the high cost of living or inflation (16%) and outpaces the economy in general (12%). Nearly half of Democrats (48%) want Biden to stand up to Republicans on issues important to his voters, even if it makes it harder to address key problems an increase from the 37% who said this last year, shortly before his inauguration. Would you favor an increased sales tax in order to reduce property taxes? Should the federal government require racial sensitivity training for employees? Today, that number has fallen to 46%. He also helps edit political coverage. Should the redrawing of Congressional districts be controlled by an independent, non-partisan commission? Dealing with climate change is the only issue which White Democrats (68%) are more likely than Black Democrats (58%) to view as a top priority. 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Dealing with the problems of poor people has declined as a policy priority as well. Staff writer. Should the government tax stock buybacks? iSideWith is not affiliated with any political party, candidate, or interest group. Should the government increase or decrease military spending? Should corporations, unions, and non-profit organizations be allowed to donate to political parties? Instead, it was mostly Democrats and, according to polling, a slim majority of independents who paid closest attention and blamed Trump more for what happened afterward. About half of women also say that dealing with the issue of poverty should be a top priority, while men are 10 points less likely to say this. Should the government classify cryptocurrencies as legal forms of payment? Should the federal government increase funding of health care for low income individuals (Medicaid)? At a time when Americans rate several issues as lower priorities than they did a year ago, the decline in the share citing the pandemic has been particularly steep: 60% now view dealing with the coronavirus as a top policy priority, down from 78% last year. Should social media companies ban political advertising? Currently, 53% of Democrats say addressing issues around race should be a top priority, compared with 72% who said the same last year. Republicans are, on average, about 25 points more likely than Democrats to say each of these issues should be at the top of the national policy agenda. Explore the official statistics for measuring what matters most at work and in life, including: ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance, Government Remains Americans' Top Problem in 2022, COVID-19, Russia, Abortion, Guns Increased in Importance at Points in 2022. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the seventh year in the past decade, Americans name dissatisfaction with the government as the nations top problem in 2022. Should the government add or increase tariffs on products imported into the country? Despite a 50-50 Senate and the legislative filibuster still in place, Democrats and sometimes, some Republicans were able to get quite a bit done in 2022, from the Inflation Reduction Act, which tries to address climate change and the cost of prescription drugs; to the CHIPS Act, which aims to boost domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips; to taking a step toward protecting same-sex and interracial marriages with the Respect for Marriage Act; to reforming the Electoral Count Act and funding Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion. In April, Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, continuing a streak in which no Pakistani prime. There are some exceptions to this pattern, however. Should health insurers be allowed to deny coverage to individuals who have a pre-existing condition? Adults who do not have a four-year college degree are more likely to view several goals as top policy priorities. Should victims of gun violence be allowed to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers? That all had the effect of burdening Biden's approval ratings, which remained in the low-40s for much of the year. Still, the share of Americans who cite strengthening the economy as a top priority has dropped 9 percentage points from a year ago, and concern about jobs has declined. Should the United States provide military supplies and funding to Ukraine? Should immigrants be deported if they commit a serious crime? political differences in top issues for voters in 2022 u.s. mid-term elections . Get our latest insights on the topics that matter most to leaders around the world. Do you support a universal basic income program? As in the past, Republicans and Democrats differ on the importance of most policy priorities, but the partisan gaps have widened significantly for 11 of the 18 items included in the survey including double-digit increases in partisan differences on dealing with immigration, improving the political system, improving the job situation and addressing issues within the criminal justice system. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks after giving a Ukrainian national flag to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Harris during his address to Congress on Dec. 21. When it comes to other foreign policy concerns, the share of Americans who rank defending the country against future terrorist attacks as a top policy priority has been steadily declining in recent years: 55% of Americans said in the January policy priorities survey that this should be a major priority, dropping from 63% last year and 74% in an early 2020 survey. An average of 19% of U.S. adults have mentioned some aspect of the government as the most important problem facing the country in Gallups 11 measures this year. Partisanship is also evident when it comes to the work of a select committee in the Democratic-controlled House to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. It was the most significant gun legislation signed in decades, but that only shows how difficult it is to get sweeping changes passed federally, like raising the age of who can purchase certain firearms or whether the country could ever return to an assault-style weapons ban. The share of Americans who say addressing issues around race should be a top priority for the president and Congress has fallen from 49% to 37%. The nations sharply divided political landscape and the troubled economy no doubt have affected the publics satisfaction with the direction of the country. Please support our research with a financial contribution. Should the U.S. continue to participate in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? Humanitarian risks Should the Federal Reserve Bank be audited by Congress? Should cities be allowed to offer private companies economic incentives to relocate? Terms. Should the government decriminalize school truancy? In two instances just days apart, 10 Black people were killed in a supermarket shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., and 21 were killed, including 19 children, in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Toward the end of 2021, President Biden's approval ratings took a dive. All of the state's top political leaders Speaker Philip Gunn, Lt. Gov, Delbert Hosemann and Gov. By contrast, there has been almost no change in views among Republicans and GOP leaners (85% top priority then, 82% today). Should the government prevent mega mergers of corporations that could potentially control a large percentage of market share within its industry? So if and . Should U.S. citizens be allowed to save or invest their money in offshore bank accounts? The incidents led to modest gun reforms signed into law. Although the war continues, mentions of it as the most important problem dropped to 5% in April, and it has not been named by more than 1% of Americans in the latter half of 2022. record-high 8% of U.S. adults naming abortion. Next year, every state official and every member of the Texas Legislature and . Should businesses be required to have women on their board of directors? While there is a large partisan gap in views of the coronavirus as a top priority, there are also age differences within each party. Russia's move tested Biden's ability to maintain NATO unity and get funding from not just the U.S. Congress but the governments of those other countries. Since 2013 -- when the government shutdown caused mentions of the government to surge -- it has been the first or second most-citedissue each year. U.S. Extreme weather events and billion-dollar disasters continue to be more common than they were decades ago. Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy? republicans top issues: #1 economy followed by #2 national security . At that time, identical shares of Republicans and Democrats (39% each) said dealing with the issue of immigration should be a top priority. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. The former president remained very much on the political scene and will continue to whether leaders in his party like it or not. Should the U.S. conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities? The coronavirus still ranks among Americans' top issues. Do you support increasing taxes for the rich in order to reduce interest rates for student loans? Fewer Republicans (53%) identify lowering health care costs as a top priority. In the latest CNN poll, just 9% of Republican voters and 4% of Democratic voters called it their top issue. In an otherwise treacherous political environment, Democrats see an . To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter. Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults say rising prices are causing hardship for their family, essentially unchanged from August but higher than a year ago. Should the government hire private companies to run prisons? Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owners religious beliefs? A year ago, 78% of the public said it was a top priority; today, that share has fallen to 60%. About The survey also found that the overall public sees the court as more ideologically conservative than two years ago, and that view is particularly true of Democrats. Here are some of the political events that will dominate headlines in 2022. Jan 23, 2023. The speech comes as the country approaches the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, and amid rising concerns about the economy and challenges from abroad. All the while, there has been no movement on a comprehensive federal immigration overhaul in almost a decade in a country that has millions of immigrants living in the U.S. after crossing the border illegally and massive backlogs in immigration courts due to understaffing and underfunding. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Should businesses be required to provide paid leave for full-time employees during the birth of a child or sick family member? Currently, 71% of U.S. adults rate strengthening the economy as a top policy priority, followed by reducing health care costs (61%), addressing the coronavirus (60%), improving education (58%) and securing Social Security (57%) according to a Pew Research Center survey of 5,128 adults conducted Jan. 10-17, 2022, on the nationally representative American Trends Panel. Most U.S. adults (71%) identify this as a top concern, according to a Center survey conducted in January that asked about the importance of 18 policy priorities. Our Vice President for Policy and Strategic Initiatives unpacks five key global issues to watch in 2022, laying out both the challenges and opportunities of global cooperation in ensuring an equitable, sustainable global response and recovery. Republicans satisfaction, already a low 8% in 2021 after President Joe Biden took office, is down to 4% in 2022. Subscribe to the NPR Nation RSS feed. Should drug traffickers receive the death penalty? , as COVID-19 infections receded, it dropped off to 3% and has garnered no more than 1% of mentions for the past six months. This year again saw many more mass shootings. Older adults are also more likely than younger adults to prioritize dealing with immigration, securing Social Security and strengthening the economy. Around two-thirds of Republicans (65%) hold a positive view of the court, largely unchanged since last year. He also remains under the cloud of multiple investigations: his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, was searched due to the removal of classified documents from the White House; the Trump Organization was found guilty of decades of criminal tax fraud; a special counsel is overseeing a federal investigation into the former president; and several years of his taxes were turned over to Congress and partially released Friday. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Should members of Congress be allowed to trade stocks while serving in office? Should undocumented immigrants be offered in-state tuition rates at public colleges within their residing state? More funding will be needed and was a major reason why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first trip outside the country since the war began, cloaked in secrecy, to the United States and addressed Congress this month. Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A There was record drought in the West and low levels in the Mississippi River, along with extreme rainfall and flooding in other parts of the U.S. The year also saw political violence with Pelosi's husband, Paul, attacked in their California home and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh targeted, which led to stepped up security for the justices. By certain measures, the economy does not look good. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Last year, 71% of Democrats said jobs should be a top priority; today, only about half of Democrats say this (49%). (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax The survey was conducted prior toRussias invasion of Ukraine, before the U.S.put troops on higher alert, and before NATO announced that member countries wouldsend military support to the region. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Should immigrants to the United States be allowed to hold dual citizenship status? Comparable shares in both parties also say taking steps to make the Social Security system financially sound (58% of Republicans, 56% of Democrats) and dealing with drug addiction (32% of Democrats, 27% of Republicans) should be top priorities.