Economic issues are more important factors than social issues in the November midterm elections, according to the latest Monmouth University Poll.
When asked which group of issues is more important in their support for Congress this year, economic concerns (54%) trump "democratic process" issues (38%) among all Americans, the Monmouth Poll found.
Republicans prioritize the economy (71%), as do independents (61%), while Democrats prioritize rights (67%).
The poll revealed that about 8 in 10 Republicans rank inflation, crime, and immigration at the top of their issues list. A similar number of Democrats prioritize climate change, racial inequality, elections and voting, gun control, and abortion, with about three-quarters also emphasizing jobs and inflation.
Independents are more concerned about overall economic issues along with crime and immigration than they are by other issues.
"Democrats are all over the place when it comes to their key issues. This makes it difficult for the party to create a cohesive messaging strategy to motivate its base. Republicans, on the other hand, just have to hammer away at rising prices and 'the wolf is at the door' to get their voters riled up," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
He added: "A major problem for Democrats is their base messaging doesn't hold as much appeal for independents as the GOP issue agenda does.
"Even though truly persuadable independents are a rather small group these days, this small difference can have a major impact given the expectation that congressional control will hinge on a handful of very close contests."
President Joe Biden gets a net positive rating for handling the COVID-19 pandemic (50% approve and 47% disapprove), but only 3 in 10 Americans approve of the job Biden has done on inflation, the nation's top concern (30%).
Currently, 38% approve of the job Biden is doing while 54% disapprove. His approval rating in Monmouth's polling through 2022 has hovered between 36% and 39%, while his disapproval rating has ranged from 54% to 58%. Biden gets an 84% approval rating from his fellow Democrats, but only 28% among independents and 6% among Republicans.
Monmouth concludes that Biden gets poor marks on issues that Americans consider pivotal, and this may bode well for the chances of Republicans in the midterms.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from Sept. 21-25 with 806 adults in the U.S. The question results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
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