But that was just the headliner. Last year, 71% of Democrats said jobs should be a top priority; today, only about half of Democrats say this (49%). Other issues have declined as policy priorities among members of both parties since last year. As expected, Republicans won control of the House, but the GOP will only have a narrow, four-seat majority, and Democrats held the Senate. Here are some of the political events that will dominate headlines in 2022. It also weighed in on gun rights, environmental regulations, immigration and more, and appears ready to take aim at race-based affirmative action with a decision coming by June. New data released by Ipsos this morning has shown that around 55% of Britons expect the Tories to lose seats on Thursday, with 45% expecting Labour to pick up support. Two things in particular need to improve for Biden to make a turnaround the pandemic . They painted a picture of a then-president who inspired a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and did nothing to tamp down the violence for hours despite watching it all unfold and being urged to do so. 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. 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. Dealing with global climate change was among the most politically divisive issues on the January survey: Roughly two-thirds of Democrats (65%) say this should be a top priority for Biden and Congress this year, compared with just 11% of Republicans. A spring 2021 survey found that 84% of Hispanic adults said there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally if certain requirements were met, compared with 69% of U.S. adults overall. In the New York Times/Siena poll, just 5% of registered voters name abortion or women's rights as the single most important problem facing the country, ranking it behind the economy (20%),. Just 10% of adults under age 30 say the same. The incidents led to modest gun reforms signed into law. Sudan enters 2022 facing multiple challenges. Should there be a limit to the amount of money a candidate can receive from a donor? Should drilling be allowed in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge? So if and . Should the U.S. remain in the United Nations? Should the United States transition to a four-day workweek? Currently, 53% of Democrats say addressing issues around race should be a top priority, compared with 72% who said the same last year. Choose an issue below to start exploring. A slightly higher percentage of. Gas prices and food costs soared, and with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, it put them on their heels in this year's midterms. 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. 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. Should employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job? Many in the media and some in law enforcement say domestic terrorism is on the rise, which is likely why it's landed on the Pew Research Center's list of controversial topics for 2022. And it means local and federal leaders are scrambling in the short term to come up with disaster recovery funding and unable to, in a consistent and united way, prepare for the long term. 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. Fierce fighting across Sudan has left hopes for a peaceful transition to civilian rule in tatters. Should the military fly drones over foreign countries to gain intelligence and kill suspected terrorists? 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. as the top U.S. problem. Should the U.S. sell military weapons to India in order to counter Chinese and Russian influence? Abortion rights activist Sierra Frey cries while protesting in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, after the court overturned a federal right to an abortion. Despite the furor over congressional redistricting, new state House and Senate maps were arguably more impactful in 2022. Should universities provide trigger warnings and safe spaces for students? Black adults (66%) are more likely than either White (27%) or Hispanic adults (47%) to say this should be a top priority. Should the government prevent mega mergers of corporations that could potentially control a large percentage of market share within its industry? Copyright 2023 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. Americans' views about their federal government are complex and often paradoxical. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. In the January 2022 survey, 45% of Americans overall said they are at least somewhat confident that the committees investigation is fair and reasonable while 54% said they are not too or not at all confident that this is the case. But her appointment did not change its ideological balance, which now tips decidedly in conservatives' favor. 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. continue NSA surveillance of its allies? There are fears of a recession on the horizon, as inflation in 2022 hit decades-long highs. Forces loyal to two rival generals are vying for control, and as is so often the case . The share of Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party who say strengthening the economy should be a top priority has fallen from 75% a year ago to 63% today. 275. Humanitarian risks Do you support a universal basic income program? Should the military be allowed to use enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to gain information from suspected terrorists? Tate Reeves said they want to legalize medical marijuana during the 2022 session. Should victims of gun violence be allowed to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers? All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter. A majority of U.S. adults continue to think the federal government should ensure universal healthcare coverage, while they also prefer that the U.S. healthcare . Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school? Should the government ban surcharges tacked onto concert tickets, cable bills, banking services, hotel bookings and other purchases? Toward the end of 2021, President Biden's approval ratings took a dive. All Popular New Local 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. He is the president of Eurasia Group, a. Should the President be able to authorize military force against Al-Qaeda without Congressional approval? hide caption. 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. By certain measures, the economy does not look good. Adults with less formal education are also more likely to prioritize many of these issues as top priorities, such as defending against terrorism, reducing crime, dealing with drug addiction, improving the job situation and reducing the budget deficit. Should the government raise the federal minimum wage? Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Trust in Media. 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. Should the government break up Amazon, Facebook and Google? Should immigrants be required to learn English? Here are the questions used for the report, along with responses, and its methodology. Should pension payments be increased for retired government workers? Still, fewer Americans cite strengthening the economy as a top priority than did so in 2021 (71% now vs. 80% then), and there has been a sizable decline in concern about jobs. Both Republicans (25% now vs. 35% in 2021) and Democrats (58% now vs. 68% then) are now less likely to see dealing with the problems low-income families face as a top priority though Democrats continue to prioritize this policy area far more than Republicans. As the coronavirus pandemic enters its third year, more Americans view strengthening the U.S. economy as a top policy priority than say the same about dealing with COVID-19. Should politicians over 75 years of age have required to pass a mental competency test? 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. Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete against athletes that differ from their assigned sex at birth? Discover courses and other experiences that bring out whats best in you, the people around you and your entire organization. Americans now see reducing the budget deficit as a higher priority for the president and Congress to address than in recent years. Democrats also are less likely to rate improving the job situation as a top priority than they did last January, before President Joe Biden took office. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives via assisted suicide? Less than half of those with a college degree (44%) say that issue should be a top priority. Should the U.S. conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities? report | Jan 31, 2023. Thanks to a more favorable map that surprisingly won unanimous approval, House Democrats gained seats for the second straight election cycle. While the economy continues to lead the publics list of priorities, there has been a decline in the share of Americans, especially Democrats, who view it as a top policy priority. Should the government regulate social media sites, as a means to prevent fake news and misinformation? Over the past three years, the share of adults with a favorable view of the court has declined 15 points, driven largely by a drop-off among Democrats. The landmark decision was one of the top political stories of 2022. Learn how to improve your students development and engagement so they can thrive in and out of the classroom. Among liberal Democrats, just 36% view the court positively, down from 57%. A year ago, identical shares of Republicans and Democrats (39% each) said dealing with the issue of immigration should be a top priority. Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change? system be based on private insurance rather than government-run. Heres a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys. In 2022, teacher strikes took place in Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, to name a few cities, and there could be even bigger protests to come in the future. 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. large majorities of Americans say prices for food and consumer goods (89%), State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues, A growing share of Americans say affordable housing is a major problem where they live, In Response to Climate Change, Citizens in Advanced Economies Are Willing To Alter How They Live and Work, Americans views of key foreign policy goals depend on their attitudes toward international cooperation, People in U.S., Western Europe differ over what needs more fixing: Their nations political or economic system, What the data says about Americans views of climate change, Podcasts as a Source of News and Information, AI in Hiring and Evaluating Workers: What Americans Think, Americans confident in Zelenskyy, but have limited familiarity with some other world leaders, How Public Polling Has Changed in the 21st Century. Satisfaction at Lowest Point Since 2011, Americans satisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S. has tumbled nine percentage points, to 18%, from last years average. A slim majority of U.S. adults (54%) said in January that they have a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court while 44% have an unfavorable view. Jan 23, 2023. Privacy There has been almost no change in views among Republicans and GOP leaners: 85% said it was a top priority last year, and 82% view it that way today. Now, just 40% in the GOP say this should be a top priority, compared with 61% of Democrats. Do you support President Bidens student loan forgiveness program? For Democrats, abortion was the clear top issue (35%), followed by the Jan. 6 committee hearings (22%), health care (16%) and inflation (13%). Political, economic, and climate crises wracked Pakistan in 2022. The 9 biggest political questions of 2022. Economy. Should gig workers such as Uber drivers be classified as employees? For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For Republicans, inflation was by far the top. Gas prices and food costs soared, and with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, it put them on their heels in this year's midterms. 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%. But strengthening the economy continues to be the public's top policy priority. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Should the U.S. increase tariffs on imported products from China? Everyone who took part in the surveys 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 homeless individuals, that have refused available shelter or housing, be allowed to sleep or encamp on public property? About as many said either that a little (34%) or nothing at all (15%) needs to be done. It's all taking a toll on communities. Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases at the start of 2022, the disease was named as the nations top problem by 20% of U.S. adults in January and 13% in February. 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. Republicans satisfaction, already a low 8% in 2021 after President Joe Biden took office, is down to 4% in 2022. It's all taking a toll on communities. The decline is steeper among Republicans than Democrats 60% said the pandemic was a top priority a year ago compared with 35% today but fewer Democrats also still view it as a major priority (93% last year, 80% now). In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. Here are 5 key takeaways, Supreme Court allows border restrictions for asylum-seekers to continue for now, Electoral Count Act and funding Ukraine's defense, 5 takeaways from the final Jan. 6 committee hearing. Are you in favor of decriminalizing drug use? 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. Should there be a 5-year ban on White House and Congressional officials from becoming lobbyists after they leave the government? 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. Do you support limiting police unions collective bargaining power for cases involving misconduct? The nations sharply divided political landscape and the troubled economy no doubt have affected the publics satisfaction with the direction of the country. Analyze and improve the experiences across your employee life cycle, so your people and organization can thrive. Wellbeing. Should the government add or increase tariffs on products imported into the country? Should pension plans for federal, state, and local government workers be transitioned into privately managed accounts? Should the Federal Government suspend the gasoline tax? These issues are far less salient for Republicans: Democrats are on average about 33 points more likely than Republicans to rate each as a top priority. Should local law enforcement be allowed to detain illegal immigrants for minor crimes and transfer them to federal immigration authorities? 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. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court made its mark in 2022, stunning the country by overturning the right to an abortion in the U.S. December 31, 2021 | 12:00am If I were to prepare a memo to the next president of this republic, I would ask him or her (hopefully, her) to focus on the following top priorities. When it comes to rising U.S.-Russia tensions, an early January survey found that 26% of Americans considered the Russian military buildup near Ukraine to be a major threat to U.S. interests, while 33% said it was a minor threat to U.S. interests. The stakes are particularly high for President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress, who are looking to deliver some big wins for Americans ahead of this year's midterm elections. Should the government attempt to influence foreign elections? Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there had been a long-term decline in the shares citing the economy and jobs as top policy priorities. About seven-in-ten White (72%), Black (69%) and Hispanic (70%) adults say this should be a top priority this year. Should the government give tax credits and subsidies to the wind power industry? One of the top issues, as it is in most federal elections, is the economy. Should the current estate tax rate be decreased? Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand which issues the public views as most important for the president and Congress to prioritize in the coming year. Despite registering relatively low annual averages, several issues have been notably higher at some points this year. The 2022 figure is the lowest point since 17% in 2011 and just the fourth time since 1979 that annual satisfaction has been below 20%. Within both parties, older Americans are more likely to prioritize defense issues (see detailed tables). Should foreigners, currently residing in the United States, have the right to vote? May 18, 2022. Should schools be allowed to require mandatory diversity training for students? 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. Put the customer at the core of every part of your organization to deliver exceptional experiences and grow your business. Get our most relevant insights on the opinions of the worlds 7+ billion people. republicans top issues: #1 economy followed by #2 national security . Staff writer. This analysis looks at Americans views on a variety of key national issues ahead of the annual State of the Union address. Many of his endorsed candidates lost in purple states, highlighting his political weaknesses. We receive over a million unique answers (and filter out multiple submissions) to our political issues survey per day and categorize the submissions by political affiliation, state, city, and referral website, as well as census data estimates by income, race, education, and household. Today, two-thirds of Republicans (67%) view immigration as a top priority, compared with just 35% of Democrats. Should the federal government institute a mandatory buyback of assault weapons? Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there had been long-term drops in the shares citing the economy and jobs as top policy priorities. Meantime, the country is still trying to recover from the COVID pandemic, while girding for a potential recession, as this year also saw high gas prices and soaring inflation. 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. Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, Black adults are more likely than White or Hispanic adults to rate a number of issues as top policy priorities. Do you support qualified immunity for police officers? Should the government cancel production of the F-35 fighter? Larger shares of women than men also say reducing health care costs, improving education, addressing issues around race and dealing with drug addiction should be top priorities in the year ahead.