The Nation’s priorities and the direction of the country

Key Statistics From the TIPP Poll

• Over four in ten Americans (44 percent) prioritize the economy as the country’s most important issue
• Gun violence/control (32 percent) and immigration/border security (29 percent) are the other top concerns
• Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) express dissatisfaction with the direction of the country

What are Americans’ priorities as we enter the second half of 2023?

Over four in ten Americans (44 percent) picked the economy as the country’s most important issue, while gun violence/control, at 32 percent, and immigration/border security, at 29 percent, were the other top concerns.

These results are from the latest IBD/TIPP Poll, which surveyed 1,358 Americans and was completed in early June. The poll asked participants, “What are the top three issues facing the country?”

One in five respondents (20 percent) rated crime as a top issue.

Ten issues received double-digit importance. Homelessness (19 percent), debt ceiling (18 percent), health care (17 percent), climate change (17 percent), and trust in government/politicians (16 percent) garnered more than 15 percent of respondents’ attention.

Lack of unity in the nation (15 percent), abortion (13 percent), racial justice (12 percent), home affordability (13 percent), and the Russia-Ukraine war (11 percent) were the other five issues that scored above 10 percent.

Investigation of the Trump administration ranked last with 4 percent, sharing the bottom three positions with Coronavirus (5 percent) and China-U.S. relations (6 percent).

Priorities varied along party and ideological lines.

For Democrats, the top issues were gun violence/gun control (46%), the economy (36%), climate change (27%), health care (22%), and abortion (19%).

Republicans, on the other hand, prioritized the economy (54%), immigration and border security (49%), crime (26%), trust in government/politicians (23%), and the debt ceiling (21%).

Independents aligned more closely with Republicans, with their top issues being the economy (44%), immigration and border security (32%), and gun violence/gun control (28%). Homelessness (20%) and crime (20%) also made the top five for independents.

Top Economic Issues

Inflation (50%), food prices (43%), gasoline prices (24%) are the top-three economic issues facing Americans.

We gave respondents a list of 18 economy-related issues and asked them to choose their top three concerns.

Recession (22%), the ability of Americans to pay their bills (20%), h​igh taxes (18%), h​ome affordability (18%), e​xcessive government spending (18%), and r​ising interest rates (15%) received double-digit responses.

Direction Of Country

Each month we probe the general sentiment​ about the country’s direction using the survey question, “In general, how satisfied are you with the direction that the country is going in at this time?”

Nearly two-thirds (64%) are dissatisfied with the country’s direction. 35% expressed they are not at all satisfied and 29% are not very satisfied. Most Republicans (83%) and independents (72%) expressed dissatisfaction. One-half (53%) of Democrats are satisfied.

We also compute a compact index from responses to the question. 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 ten months. The June reading was 36.5.

Democrats had the most optimistic reading, at 51.9. Republicans had the lowest score (19.9), indicating extreme pessimism. Independents stayed in the middle at 31.4.

Democrats fell 25.4 points from a high of 77.3 in April 2021 to 51.9 this month, a 33% drop.

Republicans’ slide began after the elections in November 2020, and they have been posting pessimistic readings (under 50) for 31 months in a row, with an average of 23.5 during Biden’s presidency.

Independents averaged 33.5 during Biden’s presidency.

The nation faces a protracted stagflation, an economic slowdown accompanied by a recession. With poll numbers falling even among Democrats, it is clear that the nation’s leadership has their work cut out for them.

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1. NATO Readies Military Plans To Defend Vs Russia – A.P.

Russia’s armed forces are bruised, but not beaten by any means in their war on Ukraine, a top North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military officer said.

He laid out the biggest revamp to the alliance’s military plans since the Cold War should Moscow dare to widen the conflict.

President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts are set to endorse a major shakeup of the alliance’s planning system at a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius next week.

2. Zelensky Calls Putin’s Response To Wagner Rebellion “Weak” – ANI

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence reports showed the Kremlin was measuring support for Prigozhin.

He claimed that half of Russia supported the Wagner boss and the paramilitary group’s mutiny, as per CNN.

Zelenskyy in an interview said: “We see Putin’s reaction. It’s weak.”

3. Prigozhin Calls For Support As Wagner Continues Recruiting Despite Putin Ultimatum – Al Arabiya

Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin released a message in which he defended his short-lived insurrection and called for support as the group continued to recruit troops despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimatum for Wagnerites.

4. Russia Claims To Have Foiled An Assassination Attempt In Crimea – Al Jazeera

Russia has claimed to have thwarted a Ukrainian assassination attempt on Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement that it had arrested a Russian national recruited as an assassin by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency.

5. Ukraine Places Unilever On ‘International Sponsors Of War’ List – WION

Ukraine has added British consumer goods company Unilever to its “International Sponsors of War” list, alleging that the company continues to profit from its operations in Russia.

The National Agency on Corruption Prevention stated that Unilever’s presence in Russia and its significant tax contributions to the Russian state budget support the aggressor country’s economy and contribute to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

6. Chinese Defense Minister Meets With Russian Navy Chief – D.W.

China hopes to “strengthen communication at all levels” with the Russian navy, China’s defense minister Li Shangfu said, following the meeting with the Russian navy head, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov in Beijing.

The discussion to expand naval cooperation with Russia came during the highest-level public talks between military officials from the two countries since a failed mutiny in Russia last month.

7. China To Restrict Chip Exports As U.S. Weighs New Curbs – Al Jazeera

China has announced it will restrict exports of rare metals used to manufacture semiconductors due to national security concerns.

Chinese exporters will need approval to send certain gallium and germanium products overseas from August 1 to “preserve security and national interests”, the Ministry of Commerce and China Customs said in guidelines issued.

The announcement comes as the United States is reportedly considering new curbs on the export of advanced chips to China.

8. Hong Kong Police Offer HK$1 Million Bounties For Hunt Of Exiled Democracy Activists – WION

Hong Kong police, in a controversial step, announced whopping bounties of HK$1 million each for the capture of eight prominent pro-democracy activists in self-imposed exile overseas.

All of these activists fled Hong Kong following the implementation of a far-reaching national security law by Beijing in 2020.

Britain has vowed to protect the exiled pro-democracy activists targeted by Hong Kong police.

9. Taiwan Conducts Missile Live-Firing Test – AFP

Taiwan kicked off a two-day missile live-firing test on Monday ahead of its largest annual military exercises as the East Asian island ramps up preparations against an increasingly assertive China.

The missile tests come against the backdrop of aerial and naval maneuvers by Beijing in and around the Taiwan Strait, a 122-mile-wide passage between the island and mainland China.

10. Chinese Scientist Proposes Controversial Gene-Editing Research On Embryos – WION

He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who faced international condemnation in 2018 for creating the first gene-edited children, has presented a new research proposal involving modifying human embryos to address the challenges of the aging population.

He, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 for “illegal medical practices,” resurfaced last year and announced the opening of a research lab in Beijing.

11. Pakistan Foreign Minister Says Country Not In China ‘Debt Trap’ – Nikkei Asia

Pakistan has not slid into a “debt trap” by China, FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, stressing that the country is not at immediate risk of defaulting on its debt despite an ongoing economic crisis.

“It is incorrect to claim that Pakistan is in China’s debt trap,” he said in a written interview. “Most of the Chinese assistance to Pakistan is in the shape of investments or soft loans.”

12. Turkey’s Erdogan Blames Riots In France On ‘Institutional Racism’, ‘Islamophobia’ – Al Arabiya

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Especially in countries known for their colonial past, cultural racism has turned into institutional racism.”

He said: “At the root of the events that started in France is the social architecture built by this mentality. Most of the immigrants who are condemned to live in ghettos, who are systematically oppressed, are Muslims.”

13. Jenin: Israeli Military Launches Major Operation In West Bank City – BBC

There have been intense exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian militants in Jenin refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military began what appears to be one of its most extensive operations in the territory in years with drone strikes early on Monday.

Israel said it was putting a stop to Jenin being “a refuge for terrorism”. Palestinians accused it of a war crime.

14. Taliban Ban Women Beauty Salons In Kabul: Report – ANI

The Taliban has in a new verbal decree, banned women’s beauty salons in Kabul and other provinces across the country, a spokesman for Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has banned girls and women from going to schools, universities and working at NGOs as well as going to public areas such as parks, cinemas and other recreation areas.

15. Facebook Owner Meta To Launch Twitter Rival On Thursday – BBC

Facebook owner Meta is launching its new app, “Threads”, to rival Twitter and says it will go live on Thursday.

Meta describes Threads as a “text-based conversation app”.

The move is the latest in a rivalry between Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Republished with permission from TIPP Insights