What issues are on top of Americans’ minds as President Biden gives his State of the Union speech this evening?
The latest IBD/TIPP Poll of over 1,358 Americans, completed on Friday last week, answers the question. The poll asked Americans, “What are the top-3 issues facing the country today?”
The economy emerged as the #1 issue. Gun violence/control and Immigration are the other top issues.
One-half of Americans (50 percent) said the economy was one of the top-3 issues in their minds, followed by gun violence/control at 30% and immigration at 27%.
Over one in five (22%) rated crime among the top-3 issues. Trust in government/politicians and climate change received 20% each.
Both homelessness and health care got 18% each. Sixteen percent picked the Russia-Ukraine war.
Lack of unity was among the top-3 concern for 15%, while 13% chose abortion and home affordability.
After nearly three years of the pandemic, coronavirus received only 13%, suggesting most Americans are no longer worried about the virus that took over one million American lives.
Racial justice (12%) and investigation of the Trump administration (5%) finished last.
Priorities differed along party lines. Democrats want to hear President Biden talk about gun violence/gun control and climate change; Republicans are eager to hear about immigration.
Economy (39%), gun violence/gun control (39%), and climate change (28%) are the top three issues for Democrats, followed by health care (20%) and crime (19%).
Economy (65%), immigration (48%), and lack of trust in government and politicians (31%) topped Republican concerns, followed by crime (26%) and Russia-Ukraine (21%).
Independents were closer to Republicans. They rated the economy (54%), gun violence/gun control (30%), and immigration (27%) as their top-3 issues, followed by crime (23%) and trust in government (22%).
Top Economic Issues
Inflation (50%), food prices (45%), and gasoline prices (28%) are the top-three economic issues worrying Americans.
On Friday, President Biden said he does not take any responsibility for the ongoing inflation crisis in the country, as he highlighted a stronger-than-expected January jobs report.
Biden claimed inflation ‘was already there when I got here,’ saying he took no blame.
In the poll, we gave respondents a list of 16 economic issues and asked them to choose their top three concerns.
Recession (25%), the ability of Americans to pay their bills (20%), high taxes (19%), home affordability (17%), excessive government spending (15%), rising interest rates (15%), and supply chain issues (13%) received double-digit responses.
Financial Status
Most Americans (61%) believe they are not better off financially than when President Biden took office two years ago. Only a third (33%) think they are well-off.
Most Republicans (76%) and independents (71%) think they have not done well under Biden. While nearly one-half (49%) of Democrats think they are better off, 45% think they are not better off.
Direction Of Country
We compute the Direction of Country Index from responses to the survey question, “In general, how satisfied are you with the direction that the country is going in at this time?” The index ranges from 0 to 100. An index of 50 or above is positive, below 50 is negative, and 50 is neutral.
Overall, the index entered the negative zone in September 2021 and has remained there for the past eighteen months. The February reading is 43.0.
Democrats had the most optimistic reading, at 63.5. Republicans had the lowest score (21.4), indicating extreme pessimism. Independents stayed in the middle at 31.7.
Democrats fell 13.8 points from a high of 77.3 in April 2021 to 63.5 this month, a 17.9% drop.
Republicans’ slide began after the elections in November 2020, and they have been posting pessimistic readings (under 50) for 27 months in a row, with an average of 22.7 during Biden’s presidency.
Independents averaged 34.1 during Biden’s presidency.
This month, both conservatives (34.1) and moderates (44.4) are pessimistic, while liberals are upbeat (52.1).
The table below shows the 24-month average of the Direction of Country index during Biden’s presidency. Only ten of the 36 demographic groups are optimistic (highlighted in green), above 50.0. Twenty-six pessimistic groups are highlighted.
The most pessimistic about the nation’s direction are Republicans (22.7), rural residents (32.1), white women (32.8), conservatives (33.0), and the age 65+ group (33.0).
The most optimistic are the Democrats (64.4), liberals (58.6), Blacks (58.3), urban residents (56.0), and Hispanics (55.6)
The State of the Union is an excellent opportunity for President Biden to address Americans’ concerns and his vision for the next two years. The nation’s debt of 31 trillion dollars undermines progress. He must talk about how he plans to cut spending, balance the budget and reduce the nation’s debt.
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Geopolitics And Geoeconomics
#1. Zelenskyy Tipped To Visit Brussels This Week For E.U. Leaders’ Summit – Euronews
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is expected to be in Brussels on Thursday as E.U. leaders gather for a summit.
However, a senior E.U. official confirmed to Euronews that security reasons could thwart the visit.
The potential visit would be Zekenskyy’s second official trip outside Ukraine since the Russian onslaught started on 24 February. He visited Washington in late December to deliver a speech at Congress and hold a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
#2. Russia Reportedly Discussed Crucial Nuclear Arms Treaty With U.S. Ambassador – WION
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said he discussed the New START nuclear arms control treaty with new U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy last week, the Interfax news agency reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters last week that “no matter how sad the situation is at the present time,” it was actually necessary to preserve at least some “hints” of continued dialogue with Washington.
The New START treaty is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia. The treaty aims to have control over nuclear arms in both nations, but it is set to expire in 2026. Experts have raised concerns and urged that the treaty should be revived.
#3. Russia’s Deficit Hits $25 Billion As Energy Income Slumps – Bloomberg
The Russian government’s oil and gas revenue slumped in January, contributing to the biggest budget deficit for the first month of the year since at least 1998.
Tax revenue from oil and gas plunged 46% in January from a year ago, while there was a 59% increase in spending due to the war in Ukraine. The combination of those factors gave Russia a public deficit of 1.76 trillion rubles ($25 billion), the Finance Ministry said.
The drop in oil and gas revenues follows Western sanctions on Russian exports, including E.U.’s ban on most seaborne imports of crude and refined fuels and the G-7 price cap.
#4. U.N. Chief Warns Of ‘Wider War’ As Ukraine Conflict Intensifies – Al Jazeera
Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, Antonio Guterres decried the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying the war was “inflicting untold suffering on the Ukrainian people with profound global implications.”
Aside from the war in Ukraine, Guterres referenced other threats to peace, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Sahel, and Haiti.
“If every country fulfilled its obligations under the [U.N.] Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed,” he said,
Guterres also sounded the alarm about the threats posed by climate change on Monday.
#5 “Attempt To Spy On U.S. Anticipated From China”: Biden On Balloon Incident – AFP
President Biden defended the decision to wait until a Chinese balloon crossed the United States before shooting it down. The White House said valuable intelligence was being culled from the device.
Biden, who has tried to establish more stability in the relationship with China, said he was not surprised by the balloon incident.
“The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the United States is something that is anticipated from China,” he said. “It’s not a question of trusting China. It’s a question of deciding where we can work together and where we have opposition.”
#6. Costa Rica Says China Apologizes For Balloon ‘Incident’ Over Its Airspace – Reuters
China apologized to Costa Rica for a balloon that flew over its territory after a separate suspected Chinese spy balloon traveling over the United States sparked a major political and diplomatic spat.
According to a statement from Costa Rica’s foreign ministry, the Chinese government recognized that one of its balloons flew over Costa Rica, and China’s embassy in San Jose “apologized for the incident.”
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said that the balloon spotted in Latin America was used for civilian purposes.
#7. Iranian Activist Says Reforms Can’t Save Islamic Government, Change Needed – RFE/RL
A leading jailed Iranian political activist, Bahareh Hedayat, says the time has come for the government to leave, even if it takes some reforms, such as repealing the deeply divisive mandatory hijab law.
In a letter from the women’s ward of Evin prison imploring fellow rights activist Farhad Meysami to end his hunger strike, Bahareh Hedayat wrote, “our problem is with the logic of this regime, which is a form of Islamic fascism.”
Last week, Meysami vowed to continue his hunger strike until Iranian authorities release six political prisoners, including Hedayat, and stop their harassment of women through the compulsory hijab rule.
Photos on social media showed him in an emaciated condition amid growing fears over his health.
#8. 2022 Was Record Year For North Korean Crypto Theft – Reuters
North Korea stole more cryptocurrency assets in 2022 than in any other year. It targeted the networks of foreign aerospace and defense companies, according to a confidential UN report seen by Reuters.
North Korea has previously denied allegations of hacking or other cyber-attacks.
The independent sanctions monitors said South Korea estimated that North Korean-linked hackers stole virtual assets worth $630m in 2022, while a cyber-security firm assessed that North Korean cybercrime yielded cryptocurrencies worth more than $1bn.
#9. North Korean Leader Orders Military To Improve War Readiness – A.P.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Kim presided over a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission and encouraged the armed forces to perform “ever-victorious feats” and display “matchless military strength” to open a new phase in development.
The meeting came amid signs North Korea is planning a military parade that may be an occasion to showcase the latest hardware from its growing nuclear weapons and missile program that’s brewing concern for the United States and its allies in Asia.
#10. U.S. Closely Watching N. Korea For Upcoming Military Parade: State Dept. – Yonhap
The department spokesperson, Ned Price, noted the military parades have more “propaganda value” than any material value to North Korea.
Pyongyang was earlier reported to be preparing for a massive military parade to be held this week, marking the 75th anniversary of the foundation of its armed forces.
The North has a history of using military parades to mark crucial national anniversaries while showcasing its latest weapons systems to underscore its military presence in the region.
#11. Google Unveils ChatGPT Rival Bard, AI Search Plans In Battle With Microsoft – Reuters
Google owner Alphabet Inc. said it would launch a chatbot service and more artificial intelligence for its search engine and developers, an answer to Microsoft’s rivalry to lead a new wave of computing.
Microsoft, meanwhile, said it planned its own A.I. reveal for Tuesday.
The cascade of news reflects how Silicon Valley is anticipating massive change from so-called generative A.I., technology that can create prose or other content on command and free up white-collar workers’ time.
The ascent of ChatGPT, a chatbot from Microsoft-backed OpenAI that could disrupt how consumers search for information, has been one of the biggest challenges to Google in recent memory.
#12. Rescuers scramble in Turkey, Syria after quake kills 4,000 – A.P.
Rescuers in Turkey and Syria searched through the frigid night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 4,000 people.
U.S. President Joe Biden called Erdogan to express condolences and offer assistance to the NATO ally. The White House said it was sending search-and-rescue teams to support Turkey’s efforts.
#13. Disney Removes Simpsons ‘Forced Labour’ Episode In Hong Kong – BBC
Disney has removed an episode of The Simpsons referring to Chinese labor camps from its streaming service in Hong Kong.
The absence of the One Angry Lisa episode in its latest season was flagged in media reports this week. It is unclear when it was removed.
Disney has declined to reply to the BBC’s queries.
There have been rising concerns about censorship in Hong Kong after it passed several controversial laws.
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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
