The Nation's Pulse: Americans' Top Priorities And The Direction Of The Country
- Forty percent prioritize the economy as the country's most important issue
- Immigration/border security and crime are the other top concerns
- Abortion rose in importance to fourth place
- Nearly two-thirds express dissatisfaction with the direction of the country
What are Americans' priorities 90+ days before the November election?
Forty percent identified the economy as the country's most important issue, followed by immigration and border security at 38 percent. Crime and abortion were also significant concerns, each cited by 19 percent and 18 percent of survey respondents, respectively.
In the run-up to the election, abortion has gained importance since January, when it was 10th place and was rated an important issue by only 12%.
These results are from the latest TIPP Poll, which surveyed 1,488 Americans and was completed in early August. The poll asked participants, "What are the top three issues facing the country?"
Ten other issues received double-digit responses: gun violence/gun control (17%), health care (15%), homelessness (15%), national debt/federal government spending (14%), home affordability (14%), the 2024 election (13%), climate change (13%), threats to democracy (12%), trust in government/politicians (12%), and lack of unity/division in the country (10%).
Meanwhile, terrorism/national security (9%), mental health (9%), racial justice (6%), Russia/Ukraine situation and global security (6%), Israel-Hamas conflict (5%), China-U.S. relations (4%), and coronavirus (3%) are in the bottom tier, each garnering under ten percent.
Priorities varied along party and ideological lines.
For Democrats, the top issues were the economy (34%), abortion (29%), gun violence/gun control (25%), climate change (21%), and threats to democracy (18%).
Republicans, on the other hand, prioritized immigration and border security (62%), the economy (44%), crime (23%), and national debt/government spending (22%).
Independents aligned more closely with Republicans, with their top issues being the economy (41%), immigration/border security (37%), homelessness (22%), crime (18%), and national debt/government spending (16%).
Top Economic Issues
Inflation (48%), food prices (46%), people’s ability to pay their bills (25%), and home affordability (24%) are among the top three economic issues facing Americans.
From a list of 21 economy-related issues, the survey respondents picked their top three concerns.
Gasoline prices (23%), government spending (17%), recession (16%), tax rates (15%), rising interest rates (14%), and lack of good jobs (12%) received double-digit responses.
Direction Of Country
Each month, the TIPP Poll probes the general sentiment about the country’s direction using the survey question, "In general, how satisfied are you with the direction that the country is going in at this time?"
Nearly two-thirds (65%) are dissatisfied with the country’s direction. 37% said they are not at all satisfied, and 28% are not very satisfied. Most Republicans (83%) and independents (72%) expressed dissatisfaction. Over one-half (57%) of Democrats are satisfied.
We also compute a compact index from responses to the question. The index ranges from 0 to 100. A score of 50 or above is positive, below 50 is negative, and 50 is neutral.
Overall, the index entered the negative zone in September 2021 and has remained there for 36 months. The August reading is 35.2.
Democrats have the most optimistic reading, at 56.6, while Republicans have the lowest score (19.4), indicating extreme pessimism. Independents are in the middle at 28.0.
Democrats fell 25.4 points from a high of 77.3 in April 2021 to 56.6 this month—a 27% drop. Their median during Biden’s presidency was 60.3.
Republicans' slide began after the elections in November 2020, and they have been posting pessimistic readings (under 50) for 45 months in a row, with a median of 20.7 during Biden's presidency.
Independents’ median rating during Biden's presidency is 31.1.
The nation faces a protracted stagflation, an economic slowdown accompanied by inflation. With high food prices and near-stagnant income, households are forced to tighten their budgets. Uncontrolled immigration and rising crime rates are making matters worse. The pervasive disenchantment does not bode well for incumbent Democrats in 2024.