Harry Wilmerding
Americans believe poor government leadership is a bigger problem than the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent Gallup poll showed.
More than 20% of Americans said that “the government/poor leadership” is the top problem facing the country, more than twice the number of Americans that say the same for “the economy in general,” according to a Gallup survey. Additionally, concerns have eased about the COVID-19 pandemic, with the percentage saying it is the nation’s greatest problem dropping to 13% in November from 21% in September.
Meanwhile, Americans’ mentions of an economic issue grew to a pandemic-long high, with 26% of respondents mentioning specific economic issues as among the biggest problems facing the country. While 10% of Americans said the economy in general is the most significant issue the country faces, 7% cited inflation and the high cost of living and 5% pointed to unemployment and jobs.
The survey of 815 adults, which took place from Nov. 1-16 and has a four percent margin of error, found that 30% of Republicans and 29% of Independents mentioned economic issues when asked about the biggest problem facing the country, but it said that only 18% of Democrats did so.
November’s poll was the first of its kind since January 2017 to show a double-digit percentage of Americans saying the economy was the most significant problem in the country.
Inflation reached a 30-year high in October, with the Consumer Price Index growing 0.9% from the previous month and reaching 6.2% on a year-over-year measure. The Producer Price Index, which measures inflation at the wholesale level, rose 8.6% on a year-over-year basis as of early November, increasing at a record rate for the second straight month.
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