Topline
Fewer Republicans and Democrats think racial issues and poverty should be top policy priorities compared to a year ago, according to a study published Wednesday by Pew Research Center, as concerns about the economy eclipse social issues and the Covid-19 pandemic.
A protester speaks in front of the California National Guard in Los Angeles, during a demonstration … [+]
Key Facts
The share of Americans who think issues around race should be a top priority for the president and Congress fell from 49% in January 2021 to 37% last month, and dropped from 72% to 53% among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and from 24% to 14% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents over the same time period.
Some 44% of Americans said last month dealing with poverty should be a top policy priority, a drop from 53% a year earlier, with similar year-over-year decreases from 68% to 58% among Democrats and from 35% to 25% among Republicans.
Americans identified strengthening the economy as their top concern (71%), beating healthcare costs by a 10-point margin and dealing with Covid-19 by an 11-point margin, marking a departure from January 2021, when strengthening the economy was considered only slightly more important than responding to Covid-19.
A partisan gap opened on the issue of improving the political system, with 61% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans listing it as a priority, a stark change from January 2021, when 64% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans prioritized the issue.
The widest partisan differences were seen on typically polarizing topics like dealing with climate change (a priority for 65% of Democrats and 11% of Republicans), racial issues (53% of Democrats and 14% of Republicans) and strengthening the military (22% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans).
Pew surveyed 5,128 U.S. adults from January 10-17.
Activist Megan Butler leads a Black Lives Matter protest march in Cordova, Alaska on June 7, 2020.
Tangent
Pew found that concern about race was split along racial lines, with only 27% of white respondents identifying racial issues as a top policy priority, compared to 47% of Hispanic respondents and 66% of Black respondents.
Key Background
Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, Pew had found a long-term decline in concern about the economy. Only 61% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans named the economy as a top priority in February 2020, compared to 87% of Democrats and 88% of Republicans in 2011, when the United States was still emerging from the Great Recession. However, with inflation hitting a nearly 40-year high and oil prices near $100 per barrel, insecurity about the economy is widespread. In January, 35% of Americans—including 54% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats—said they expected the economy to get worse in the next year, according to Pew.
Further Reading
“How America’s Legacy Of Racial Terror Still Affects Black Wealth” (Forbes)
“Inflation Spiked 7.5% In January—Hitting A Nearly 40-Year High” (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/02/16/fewer-americans-now-want-to-prioritize-racial-issues-and-poverty-than-in-2021-study-finds/