NEW YORK--Americans are increasingly turning away from the coronavirus and focusing their attention elsewhere, especially toward rising consumer prices and other economic areas where Democrats are less trusted, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows, a shift that could favour Republicans in next year's midterm elections.
While COVID-19 continues to claim more than 1,000 lives a day in the United States, the Oct. 18-22 national opinion survey shows the country's fixation on public health and diseases has faded since the beginning of the year. In October, just 12% of U.S. adults rated public health issues like the coronavirus as a top national priority, down from 20% in February.
Meantime, two-thirds of the country, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents, say that “inflation is a very big concern for me.”
Americans are also closely watching the pandemic-era job market, where businesses struggle to find enough workers while millions of people remain unemployed: the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 73% of adults want political leaders to focus their attention on jobs and economic growth.
It is a dramatic shift in the political landscape in just one year. Joe Biden and his Democratic Party won the White House and control of Congress last year on a campaign focused on the pandemic and former President Donald Trump's handling of it.
Already, Democrats have failed to match a surge in voting for conservative candidates that helped Republicans win the Virginia governor's race this week and wage a surprisingly competitive race in New Jersey. Now, it appears that what had been the Democrats' top issue is no longer top of mind.
“Americans are ready to stop worrying about the coronavirus” after nearly two years, said Nicholas Valentino, a University of Michigan political scientist.
“When they look around they see other problems that need to be addressed,” Valentino said. "They see job listings everywhere. They’re waiting in long lines at the grocery stores. They’re waiting for things to be delivered because the supply chain is slow."
Last November, a majority of voters -- 61% -- said COVID-19 was "an important factor" in determining their choice for president, and those voters backed Biden over Trump by a 52% to 46% margin, according to exit polls from the 2020 election. Biden entered office with the approval of 55% of the country, and he was lauded for aggressively securing millions of doses of the coronavirus vaccine and nearly $2 trillion in financial relief from Congress.
Since then, Biden’s popularity has declined, even among those Democrats and independents who helped put him in office. Public approval of Biden’s record on the economy, immigration, national unity, and even for his response to the coronavirus, has dropped almost every month since April, according to the poll. Overall, approval of Biden’s performance in office is now hovering near its lowest levels of the year. The latest weekly survey shows that 44% of U.S. adults approve of the president, which is down 11 percentage points since January, while 51% disapprove, up by 19 points in that same period.
