With fewer than three weeks to go before the 2022 midterm elections, a new poll shows about three-quarters of Americans believe the United States is on the wrong track.
In the same vein, some 20 percent of respondents said they believe the U.S. economy will get better over the next year, 26 percent said it will remain about the same, and 50 percent say it will get worse. The 50-percent figure is the highest number on the question dating back to 1994.
Other Polls
Some recent polls, including one from the Pew Research Center (pdf), suggest that the key issues are the economy, violent crime, and inflation. An overwhelming majority, or 79 percent, told Pew that the U.S. economy—which has been beset by decades-high inflation—is “very important” and another 61 percent stated that crime is also “very important.”Republicans have repeatedly hammered the Biden administration and Democrats on their policies around oil drilling, record congressional spending, and COVID-19-related lockdowns and mandates, arguing that it has been those policies that have driven inflation and relatively higher gas prices. The consumer price index, a key inflation metric, hit 8.2 percent in September—running near highs not seen since the early 1980s.
“These submerged voters aren’t answering polls, they aren’t putting stickers on their cars, or signs in their yard—they’re not even posting on social media,” Trafalgar Group pollster Robert Cahaly said in a recent podcast of the trend. “They are underwater. They’re not saying a word to anybody until election day.”
