September 15, 2022 – Inflation ranked as the top concern of registered voters in a poll from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and POLITICO—but guns and abortion are also major concerns for many voters, according to the poll.
Asked which issues were “extremely important” to their vote, 51% cited inflation, according to a September 8 article in POLITICO about the survey, which polled 1,815 registered voters between August 5 and August 22. The economy and jobs ranked second (49%), guns ranked third (46%), and abortion ranked fourth (44%).
Respondents planning to vote for a Republican in November were more likely to cite inflation and the economy as their top concerns, while those planning to vote for a Democrat were more likely to cite guns and abortion. Health care also ranked highly for many voters, with one third saying it’s “extremely important” to their November votes.
“We expected this huge rise in [concern about] abortion, but the gun thing was a total shock,” said pollster Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis, emeritus, at Harvard Chan School. “What I think we have is people responding to the most salient short-term concerns. … The school shootings of the last six months have led people to really be worried about the weapons that are available.”
Blendon added, “If you have a Republican turnout, those issues [inflation and the economy] will dominate. If you’re a Democrat and want to increase the turnout, talk about abortion, guns, and health care.”
Read the POLITICO article: POLITICO-Harvard poll: Gun policies, along with abortion, inflation and economy, are top concern for voters