Americans Wanted to Hear About Inflation…
John Stuart Mill once wrote that the Conservative Party in England was the “stupidest party.” In the debate in Milwaukee Wednesday night, contenders for the Republican party’s nomination for president attempted to prove they were the rightful heirs to that tradition.
Inflation is by far the top concern for Americans. In the latest Economist/YouGov survey, 25 percent of Americans say it is the top issue facing America — more than twice the closest runners-up of climate change at 11 percent, health care at 10 percent, and jobs and the economy at 10 percent. Seventy-five percent of Americans say inflation is “very important” and another 21 percent say it is “somewhat important,” making inflation an important issue for a stunning 96 percent of American adults.
What’s true about Americans broadly is even more true about Republicans and independent voters. Thirty-two percent of Republicans say inflation is the most important issue, more than three times the 10 percent who named abortion and immigration as their top issue. The category of “jobs and the economy” came in at nine percent, tied with national security.
Among independents, inflation scores as the top issue at 26 percent, far higher than climate change (at 11 percent), health care (10 percent), and jobs and the economy (nine percent). All other issues are far less important to independent voters.