The COVID States Project #93: Most Important Problems Facing the US Before the 2022 Midterm Election

Key takeaways1. Inflation and the economy are Americans’ top ranked problems facing the country headed into the 2022 elections.2. Republicans and independents both rank inflation and the economy as their first and second most important issues, but Democrats rank climate change and racism as their top two issues, with inflation coming in a near third.3. Republicans and Democrats differ significantly in how high they rank immigration, climate change, racism, inflation, and the economy.4. Men and women do not differ as much as Republicans and Democrats in their issue rankings, but women are significantly more likely than men to list healthcare, women’s rights, and abortion as most important issues.5. Among those ages 18 to 24, racism and abortion were the top two most commonly identified most important problems. For every other age group, inflation was the most important problem facing the country.6. African Americans were significantly more likely than any other group to list racism as a most important issue, but Asian-American and Hispanic respondents were also significantly more likely to select racism than White respondents.7. Regardless of whether someone makes under $25,000 a year or over $100,000, inflation was the top-ranked problem for each income group.8. Those who see inflation, the economy, or crime and violence as their top issues are more likely to prefer that Republicans win control of the Senate, while those who see healthcare or racism as among their most important issues are more likely to prefer that Democrats maintain control of the Senate.