Threats to democracy clocked in as the most important issue facing the country for a plurality of registered voters, according to an NBC News poll.
The poll found that 21 percent of respondents ranked threats to democracy as the most important issue, followed by 16 percent who indicated the cost of living and 14 percent who said jobs and the economy.
When respondents were asked to choose their top two issues, threats to democracy tied with cost of living as a top concern for 29 percent of respondents. Jobs and the economy clocked in at 28 percent, followed by immigration and climate change.
The new poll was conducted days after the FBI searched former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month as part of its investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents. A now-unsealed property receipt reveals agents seized 33 items from the Florida resort, including 11 sets of classified items. Court documents show Trump is being investigated for potential violations of the Espionage Act and other federal statutes.
The poll also comes weeks after the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol concluded a series of public hearings. The hearings attempted to tie Trump and his allies to the insurrection, detailing their post-election efforts to create slates of fake electors and promote unfounded claims of election fraud.
In May, the cost of living as well as jobs and the economy ranked as the top two issues when the question was asked, although threats to democracy was not one of the polled issues.
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NEW POLL: Threats to democracy top list of issues facing US https://t.co/Mm1BTvF6f8 pic.twitter.com/Dnc2103KN2
— The Hill (@thehill) August 22, 2022
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“…and with “threats to democracy” overtaking the cost of living as the top issue facing the country for voters.” https://t.co/NRLYCJcgFw
— Jeremy Littau (@JeremyLittau) August 21, 2022… interpretation is ambiguous. It’s a significant indicator of mood but could be a marker of polarization given the scale used to measure responses can’t capture the above nuance. This is where a follow-up question or two would be useful (or a follow-up survey).
— Jeremy Littau (@JeremyLittau) August 21, 2022
We call this an agenda-setting effect in my field, idea that one of media’s superpower is getting us to think about things via repeated coverage and emphasis. In this case, getting us to think about things other than the economy. (I’d posit this is Jan6 hearings coverage effect).
— Jeremy Littau (@JeremyLittau) August 21, 2022
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