Voters were resounding in their view that economic issues were the most critical issues facing the U.S. right now. Of the issues we surveyed, 50% of voters rated inflation in their top three, while in close second was economy/jobs at 46%, followed by almost two in five (38%) of surveyed voters who mentioned gun violence in their top three issues facing the country right now.
A quarter of voters mentioned gas prices (23%), crime (22%) and immigration reform (22%).
The remaining issues that voters included in their top three issues facing the country were political polarization (15%), balance of the Supreme Court (14%), taxes/regulations (14%), racism (13%), income equality (10%), terrorism (10%), cancel culture (9%), and ensuring private healthcare (8%).
Demographics did shape which issues were most important where and amongst whom.
Please click here to view the top-line data.
Inflation dominated in the South (54%) and Central/Great Lakes (52%) regions but was slightly less intense in the East (47%) and West (45%) regions. In the East region (45%), gun violence was more likely to be a top issue compared with the Central Great Lakes (37%), South (33%) and Western regions (38%). Political polarization was a more prominent issue to Central/Great Lakes and Western regions (both 17%) than in the East and South regions (both 13%).
In the South region, immigration reform (28%) was deemed more important than in the East (22%), Central/Great Lakes (20%) and Western regions (17 by surveyed voters.
When it came to generation, among Generation Z voters, inflation (36%) took a back seat to gun violence (48%), compared with the other surveyed generations-Millennials (34%), Generation X (36%), and Baby Boomers (38%) who were not as intense about gun violence.
Among Millennial voters, economy/jobs (50%) were most important, by ten percentage points or more compared to each other generation, while inflation was one of the most critical issues with Generation X (59%) and Baby Boomers (54%).
Regarding the party identification of surveyed voters, gun violence (53%) was much more of a top three issue along with racism for Democrats (20%) compared with Republicans (20% and 7%, respectively) and Independents (41% and 12%, respectively). The issues of inflation resonated more with Republicans (57%) and Independents (53%) than Democrats (41%). Also, gas prices were considered more of a top issue to Republicans (33%) than Democrats (15%) and Independents (22%).
Overall, it was a statistical tie between Democrats (45%) and Republicans (44%), while 3% said other/minor party and 8% were not sure.
Democrats fared better in the East (54% Democrat/34% Republican) and West (49% Democrat/41% Republican) regarding the November midterm elections. Conversely, Republicans were in a much better position to win control of Congress according to surveyed voters in the South (40% Democrat/50% Republican) and Central/Great Lakes regions (40% Democrat/49% Republican).
Age also played a factor in who might win control of Congress in November. Voters under the age fifty (50% Democrat/38% Republican) were more likely to vote for Democrats, while voters over age 50 (48% Republican/38% Democrat) were more likely to say they would vote Republican.
Please click here to view the top-line data.
African Americans (74% Democrat/17% Republican) and Hispanics (53% Democrat/30% Republican) emphatically supported Democrats, while White (38% Democrat/53% Republican) voters leaned toward Republicans.
Both men (44% Democrat/47% Republican) and women (45% Democrat/43% Republican) were equally split regarding which party they would support in the midterm elections.
Swing voters such as Independents (34% Democrat/30% Republican/10% other/26% not sure) were a little more likely to support Democrats, while suburban voters (45% Democrat/47% Republican) and suburban women (45% Democrat/45% Republican) were split between supporting Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming midterm election.
###
Zogby Analytics Poll Methodology
US Likely Voters
8/4/22 - 8/6/22
Zogby Analytics conducted an online survey of 891 likely voters in the US.
Using internal and trusted interactive partner resources, thousands of adults were randomly invited to participate in this interactive survey. Each invitation is password coded and secure so that one respondent can only access the survey one time.
Using information based on census data, voter registration figures, CIA fact books and exit polls, we use complex weighting techniques to best represent the demographics of the population being surveyed. Weighted variables may include age, race, gender, region, party, education, and religion. The party breakdown for this survey is as follows: 38% Democrat, 38% Republican and 24% Independent/unaffiliated.
Based on a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error for 891 is +/- 3.3 percentage points. This means that all other things being equal, the identical survey repeated will have results within the margin of error 95 times out of 100.
Subsets of the data have a larger margin of error than the whole data set. As a rule we do not rely on the validity of very small subsets of the data especially sets smaller than 50-75 respondents. At that subset we can make estimations based on the data, but in these cases the data is more qualitative than quantitative.
Additional factors can create error, such as question wording and question order.
###
About Zogby Analytics:
Zogby Analytics is respected nationally and internationally for its opinion research capabilities. Since 1984, Zogby has empowered clients with powerful information and knowledge critical for making informed strategic decisions.
The firm conducts multi-phased opinion research engagements for banking and financial services institutions, insurance companies, hospitals and medical centers, retailers and developers, religious institutions, cultural organizations, colleges and universities, IT companies and Federal agencies. Zogby's dedication and commitment to excellence and accuracy are reflected in its state-of-the-art opinion research capabilities and objective analysis and consultation.