The survey found that most Americans cited inflation and homelessness as “very serious” issues, as concerns about anti-Semitism and rising illegal immigration grew last year. New Research.
A YouGov poll released Thursday found that inflation topped the list of “very serious” issues for voters for the third year in a row, with 67% saying the issue is a major concern heading into the election in 2024. A similar survey last year found 68% of Americans believe inflation is a serious problem, compared with just 64% in 2022.
Of the 32 topics surveyed, homelessness and debt were the second most common, at 59% each. By 2023, homelessness will be considered a serious issue for 60% of Americans, compared with 52% for debt, the survey found.
Pollsters also noted growing concern over the rise in anti-Semitism and illegal immigration over the past 12 months, with some 31% of respondents saying anti-Semitism is a “very serious” problem, up 8% from last year and 8% from 2022.
Illegal immigration, one of the biggest issues in this presidential election cycle, is now a serious concern for more than half of respondents, or 53 percent. In 2023, 49 percent of respondents said the issue was a concern, and in 2022, 43 percent said it was a concern.
One issue that voters were least concerned about in the latest poll was violent crime, with 53% of voters surveyed saying they believe crime will be a serious problem in 2024, down nearly double digits from 62% last year.
Voters from both major parties have differing views on what the nation's most pressing issues are: For Democrats, the survey found that gun violence tops the list at 81%, followed by climate change (75%), poverty (70%), homelessness (70%) and lack of access to health care (66%).
The poll found that inflation is the top issue for Republicans, at 89 percent. Illegal immigration is second at 86 percent, followed by debt (66 percent) and drug abuse (66 percent).
The YouGov poll was conducted among 1,138 adults between Aug. 7 and 10 and has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.
