Economic problems are Americans top issue on Super Tuesday: poll

Voters will head to the polls on the biggest primary day of the 2024 cycle with one issue in particular in mind: the state of the U.S. economy.

According to a monthly Gallup poll, about one-third of Americans think the economy is the most important issue facing the country today.

This includes 12% of voters who are concerned about the economy in general and 11% who say the high cost of living and ongoing inflation crisis are the country’s biggest problems.

Another 3% expressed concern about the large federal budget deficit, and 2% cited taxes.

By comparison, 28% of Americans say immigration is the biggest problem, and 20% say the biggest problem is government and poor leadership.

A further 6% said poverty and homelessness were their biggest problems.

The findings were released ahead of Super Tuesday, a day in the presidential primary cycle when many states vote.

In the 15 states voting on Tuesday, more than a third of Republican delegates are up for election.

Approximately one-third of Democratic delegates have been decided, with nomination contests taking place in 14 states and American Samoa.

Former President Trump, the Republican front-runner, is widely expected to win the race against his final Republican challenger, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

As the only incumbent Democratic Party candidate, President Biden is likely to dominate the election race.

The 2024 presidential election is widely expected to once again be a direct showdown between Trump and Biden, with the economy likely to be the deciding factor for many voters.

Although the White House has praised the near-steady annual decline in inflation rates, most economists believe this is not due to the president’s economic policies, but rather the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hike campaign. and agree that this is due to the resolution of supply chain disruptions.

Inflation has fallen significantly from its peak of 9.1% in June 2022, but remains well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

Compared to January 2021, just before the inflation crisis began, prices have increased by 17.6%.

Many families have not yet received material relief.

Food prices have increased 33.7% since the beginning of 2021, and shelter costs have increased 18.7%, according to FOX Business calculations.

Meanwhile, energy prices have increased by 32.8%.

Chronically high prices are forcing Americans to spend about $1,019 more a month than they did three years ago, before the inflation crisis began, according to a recent estimate from Moody’s Analytics.

As spending on everyday items increases, Americans are draining their savings and increasingly relying on credit cards to cover basic expenses.

The burden falls disproportionately on low-income Americans, whose already maxed-out paychecks are heavily affected by price fluctuations.