Americans are more worried about the economy and inflation than about the COVID-19 pandemic, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found.
The poll, conducted in December and released Monday, found that just 37 percent of Americans say COVID-19 should be one of the government's top five priorities in 2022. That is a sharp decline from last year, when 53 percent of respondents said the pandemic was a leading priority.
Meanwhile, 68 percent of respondents say that the economy is a top concern. And 14 percent specifically mention inflation as a worry, compared with less than 1 percent last year.
Such results are likely a good sign for Republicans, who are widely expected to regain control of at least one chamber of Congress. President Joe Biden has faced wretched polling numbers on his handling of the economy, with 62 percent of voters saying in an October poll they blame Biden for skyrocketing inflation. Inflation jumped to a 40-year high in December, which also saw the fourth dismal jobs report in the last five months.
While the poll was conducted in early December, "recent follow-up interviews with participants, including self-identified Democrats," suggest that the Omicron variant hasn't changed respondents' opinions, the AP reported.
The poll came out on the same day that Rep. Ed Perlmutter (Colo.) became the 26th House Democrat to announce he will not run for reelection in November. A majority of retiring Democrats are from swing districts.