Fewer Americans Now Want To Prioritize Racial Issues And Poverty Than In 2021, Study Finds

Fewer Americans Now Want To Prioritize Racial Issues And Poverty Than In 2021, Study Finds

Share to Linkedin Fewer Republicans and Democrats think racial issues and poverty should be top policy priorities compared to a year ago, according to a study published Wednesday by Pew Research Center, as concerns about the economy eclipse social issues and the Covid-19 pandemic. A protester speaks in front of the California National Guard in Los Angeles, during a demonstration ... [+] over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody. The share of Americans who think issues around race should be a top priority for the president and Congress fell from 49% in January 2021 to 37% last month, and dropped from 72% to 53% among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and from 24% to 14% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents over the same time period. Some 44% of Americans said last month dealing with poverty should be a top policy priority, a drop from 53% a year earlier, with similar year-over-year decreases from 68% to 58% among Democrats and from 35% to 25% among Republicans. Americans identified strengthening the economy as their top concern (71%), beating healthcare costs by a 10-point margin and dealing with Covid-19 by an 11-point margin, marking a departure from January 2021, when